Loved and Lost
by CSI4nsicAce
Summary: GSR - Grissom and Sara struggle with their lives as their wedding day approaches - Sequel to Making the Connection - COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to CSI.  
Please do not repost this story anywhere without my permission.  
Thanks, enjoy.

* * *

_Sara was sitting across from Grissom's desk, reading her case file when Grissom set his pen down and looked up. "Do you want to do anything for Thanksgiving?" he asked.

Sara marked her place in the file and looked up. "Well, I don't really eat turkey," she started.

"No kidding," Grissom deadpanned.

Sara smiled. "Griss, if you want to do something, I have no problem with that. It's just that I've been by myself for most of the other years and I always worked."

"Well, you're not by yourself anymore," Grissom smiled, happy that she smiled back, "would you like to go to my mother's house for Thanksgiving?"

"I'd like that," she spoke, "I've never met your mother."

"I know, and I thought it might be nice if you got to meet her before the wedding."

Sara subconsciously twirled her engagement ring around her finger. "Can we get Thanksgiving off?"

"Well, I'm working out the schedule right now. I can swing the Wednesday and Thursday, but we're going to have to come back for the Friday."

"I guess that's better than nothing," Sara picked up her papers, "I'm going to go down to trace and see if they found out what that substance was on the gun."

"Alright Sara, we'll talk about plans later."

Sara nodded and exited his office.

* * *

When they got home that morning, Grissom and Sara shared French toast. "I called my mother back, she said she'd be glad to see us for Thanksgiving." 

Sara smiled. "That's good," she said, pushing the remainder of her French toast around on her plate.

"What's the matter, you're not hungry?" he asked, noticing that she didn't seem to be eating.

"I guess not," Sara stated, "I'm kind of tired."

"You've been working too much."

"No, not really."

"Back to back doubles last week."

"But then I rested on the weekend."

"I wouldn't exactly call what we did resting."

Sara pushed away from the table and got up. "I'm going to lay down," she stated and walked off toward the bedroom.

_Well, at least she went to lay down. I know she's not getting enough rest, but she just keeps pushing herself. Maybe having Thanksgiving off is what we really need._

_

* * *

_When Grissom awoke later that afternoon, he noticed that Sara wasn't laying next to him. _This is the third time this week. _Grissom walked out into the living room and found Sara curled up with a magazine on the couch. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

Sara jumped at the sound of his voice, but relaxed when he came closer. "You startled me," Sara spoke, turning the magazine back to its cover, "it's a bridal magazine."

Grissom raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I know I'm not too interested in all of the picky details of our wedding, but I thought it might be nice if I was wearing a dress."

Sara set the magazine down on the table and allowed Grissom to get behind her on the couch. "I think you would look just fine in nothing," he teased, whispering in her ear.

"I think your mother would object, as would many other people," Sara grinned.

"Have you looked at anything as far as colors for the wedding yet?" Grissom asked.

Sara sighed. "Gil, this is the first time I have picked up a catalog to look for a dress. I wouldn't even know where to start with all of that other stuff. Frankly, I don't even care as long as you're there."

Grissom chuckled. "Aren't women supposed to like to do these things?"

"Do I strike you as a typical woman?"

"No, that's why I love you so much," he said, squeezing her very tight, "you're beautiful, smart, witty..."

"Sure, now you're trying to sweet talk me," Sara joked.

Grissom kissed the top of her head. "Honey, the wedding is in March, it's going to be here before you know it. C'mon, let's get one thing set right now. Pick a color."

"Why are you so concerned about this all of a sudden?"

"Quit stalling. I don't want to see you going crazy as the wedding gets closer. Pick a color."

"What color do you want?"

"I don't care, as long as you're happy with the choice."

Sara sighed again. "Well, I like blue..."

"Blue it is then," Grissom cut her off before she could try to back out of making a decision.

"Griss, I would be just as happy if we went down to the courthouse right now and made it official. I don't need a fancy wedding."

"It's not going to be fancy," he reinstated, "it'll just be a nice formal gathering with our friends and family."

"That's the part I'm worried about," Sara mumbled.

Grissom sat up and turned Sara around on the couch. "What's really bothering you?" he asked, clutching her chin so she couldn't look away.

"I don't want my parents to be there," she whispered, trying to look away.

"Sara..." he started, but she cut him off.

"They ruined so many other parts of my life, and I won't let them ruin this too. I won't them ruin what we have Griss, I need you too much."

Grissom pulled her tight to his chest, shushing her to try and calm her down. "Sara, nothing can ruin us, you know that. However, you're right, we don't have to talk about this now. Why don't you come back to bed and try and get some more sleep before we have to go to work?"

Sara nodded and allowed Grissom to lead her back to bed.

* * *

Only half an hour into her sleep, Sara started tossing and turning on her side of the bed, amidst a nightmare. She rolled off the side of the bed and hit the floor hard. "Damn it!" she exclaimed when she woke up. 

Grissom was around the bed in an instant to try and comfort her. He reached for her shoulder, but she growled before he could touch her. "Don't touch me."

Grissom's hand snapped back when the words bit him. "Sara..." he started.

"Don't," she barked, scrambling to get to her feet to retreat to the bathroom.

Sara slammed the door and leaned against it. Sobs racked her body as she doubled over from the fear of her nightmare.

Grissom sat on the bed, gazing toward the closed bathroom door. _What did I do? _Grissom put his head in his hands and hoped she wasn't collapsing inward once again.

* * *

After about twenty minutes, Grissom got up and knocked on the door. "Honey, can I come in?" he spoke in a concerned tone. 

Sara got up from the floor and opened the door. Grissom immediately took in her tear-stained cheeks and her bloodshot eyes. He was unsure if she would accept his comfort, but was reassured when she reached out her arms toward him. He was by her side in a second, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I'm sorry," she began to sob again.

Grissom continued to hold her tight and rubbed her back to comfort her. "Damn it," she cursed, angry with herself, "why do I keep pushing you away? You're not the monster."

Grissom tried to get to the root of the problem. "Who is the monster?"

"My past," she hedged, "so many things have happened."

"I know, and they have just made you stronger."

Sara's crying subsided and she relaxed in his arms. "I know you're going to fight me on this, Sara, but you need to get more sleep."

Sara separated one of her arms from his and brushed her hair back. "I know, but I keep waking up just a little while after I get to sleep."

"What's on your mind?" he led her over to sit down on the bed.

"At first I kept thinking about all of the different details of the wedding, and now, I'm still worried about the wedding, but it's focused more on how it will turn out."

"So you do care about some of the details," Grissom smiled and nudged her side.

The corner of Sara's mouth turned up. "Yeah, but I want you to help decide some of the things, I don't want to do everything myself."

Grissom wrapped his arm around her. "Sara, if you want to go to some of the stores and start picking out some items, we can go. You know you can ask me about some of these things."

Sara shook her head. "I don't want to worry about any of the plans right now. Let's get done with Thanksgiving and visiting your mother before we even start to think about the wedding."

Grissom pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Stop worrying so much," he smiled, but then got more serious, "remember, wake me up if you can't sleep and you need me. I hate to see you put in so much extra time at work and end up so tired because you can't sleep when you're at home. It's not good for you."

"I think I just need to decompress," Sara admitted, "there are so many things going on right now that whenever I try to sleep everything is circling through my head."

Grissom guided Sara back into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Grissom wrapped his arms around her as soon as he got in the other side of the bed. "There are just two more weeks until Thanksgiving. Hopefully we won't get too piled up before then."

Sara snuggled into Grissom's chest, and after a few minutes, both of them had fallen back asleep.

* * *

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, there was an abundance of petty crimes to go and investigate. Sara had just gotten back from an interrogation with Brass. The suspect had been incredibly obnoxious, and the drone of his voice had prompted a migraine to kick in. Getting back to the lab, Sara swallowed some of her migraine medication with water, and she sat with her head down in the break room. "Long shift?" Catherine asked, retrieving a bottle of water from the refrigerator. 

Sara looked up. "You could say that," she answered, "the suspect we were interrogating had a motor mouth."

Catherine smiled. "You alright, you look kind of pale?"

Sara shrugged. "Migraine. I'm trying to kick it so I can start filling out some reports."

"There are just two hours left in the shift. Why don't you get the boss to let you go home?" Catherine joked.

"The paperwork needs to be finished before we leave for Thanksgiving."

"Ahh. Where are you and Griss off to anyway?"

"His mother's house in Marina Del Ray. We're flying out a couple hours after shift ends."

"Did you start making any plans for the wedding yet?"

Sara groaned and leaned against the arm of the chair. "I looked at one magazine, does that count?"

"Sara, when you get back, you definitely need to get started with the planning. If you want, I can help you go shopping and find some of the things that you need."

"I'd like that Cath. I honestly haven't picked out anything yet. Oh, except a color."

"What color are you thinking about?"

"Blue."

"That'll be nice. Next time we both have off I'll have to take you shopping."

"Okay Cath, but remember, I don't want anything fancy."

Catherine nodded and Sara got up to leave the break room. "If I don't see you before the end of shift, have a good time at Grissom's mom's house," Catherine stated.

"Thanks. You have a good Thanksgiving too."

Sara left the break room and went to the lab to start filling out her paperwork.

* * *

"Sara, you almost ready?" Grissom called through the bathroom door. 

"Yeah, give me a minute and I'll be right out."

Grissom carried both of their bags out to the car and went back inside the house to wait for Sara. Sara emerged from the bathroom, looking quite tired. "I'm ready," she stated, walking toward Grissom.

Grissom escorted her out the door and locked the door behind him. He started up the car and pulled away from the house. Grissom was holding onto Sara's hand, and Sara was leaning against the window. "Migraine still bothering you?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

"Yeah," she spoke, "that idiot never shut up. I took my medication, but I can't seem to get it to go away."

"Well, maybe you can get some sleep during the flight."

"The flight isn't that long."

"I know, but maybe even a little bit will help."

Sara squeezed his hand back and they continued on in companionable silence.

* * *

Grissom glanced at Sara as the flight attendant announced their arrival. "Sara, we're here," Grissom kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. 

Sara turned over and opened her eyes. "That wasn't nearly long enough," Sara complained, stretching her arms.

They got out of their seats, grabbed their carry-on bags and exited the plane. Grissom kept his arm around Sara as they meandered the airport. "Let's go rent a car, and then we'll head over to mom's house."

Sara nodded and leaned further into his side. "You feel any better?" he asked, smoothing her hair behind her ear.

"Eh, I'm alright," she stated, "I think I need some more sleep."

"Well, we can get settled in at mom's, and then we can take a nap."

"Just as long as we don't sleep too long, I want to be able to sleep at night for a change."

Grissom nodded and they continued on their journey to the rental car booth.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"This is a nice house," Sara spoke as they pulled into the driveway.

"Yeah, it is. It's small, but it's perfect for mom."

Grissom grabbed their bags out of the back of the car and led Sara up the stairs. Grissom pressed the doorbell and waited for his mother to emerge. She opened the door and smiled. "Gil, it's so nice to see you," she said, giving him a hug.

Mrs. Grissom stood about five foot seven inches tall, and she had her silvery hair pulled back into a bun. Her tiny waist had an apron wrapped around it, evidence that she had been working in the kitchen. Mrs. Grissom held Sara at arm's length. "You must be Sara," she spoke, "it's so nice to finally meet you."

Mrs. Grissom pulled Sara into her arms. "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Grissom," Sara said, backing away so that the woman could read her lips.

"Dear, you call me Melanie, you hear?"

"Okay Melanie."

Mrs. Grissom smiled and ushered them inside. "Now, the two of you must be very tired coming right here from work. Go on upstairs, get settled, and take a nap. I'll keep working on some food for us and we can talk after you're rested."

"Thanks mom," Grissom said, giving her another hug before leading Sara upstairs.

* * *

"Your mom seems very nice," Sara stated, putting her clothes into the drawers. 

"She is," Grissom said, while changing to get into bed.

Sara closed the drawer and got undressed. She slid into Grissom's warmth and snuggled into his embrace. "What was she cooking?" Sara yawned.

"She's getting things ready for tomorrow. Pumpkin pie, some of the side dishes."

"You did tell her we don't need a lot of food, right?"

"Yes honey. However, it's not too often that my mother has company for Thanksgiving, so she is splurging a little."

Sara smiled. "I hope she doesn't go to too much trouble."

"I'll help her out tomorrow. For right now though, let's get a little rest so we can visit in a little while."

After a few minutes Sara had fallen asleep, and Grissom drifted off to sleep after her.

* * *

Sara woke up when she felt Grissom move on his side of the bed. Grissom, realizing his mistake, immediately began to apologize. "Sorry honey, I didn't mean to wake you. I was going to let you sleep a little bit longer." 

"What time is it?" she yawned.

"Four."

"Ahh, you let me sleep to long."

"Nah, you could use it. I just got up anyway. If you want to take a shower, you can go ahead, and I'll go talk to mom."

"I would like to hop in the shower quick. I'll be down soon, okay?"

"Sure," he said, kissing her.

Sara entered the bathroom, and Grissom pulled some clothes on before going down to talk with his mother.

* * *

When Sara walked down the stairs and into the living room, Grissom was sitting on the couch and signing to his mother who was sitting in the recliner. He looked up when Sara entered the living room. "We were just talking about plans for tomorrow," he stated, allowing Sara to sit next to him on the couch, "mom wants to take you out." 

"On Thanksgiving?" she said, flabbergasted.

Mrs. Grissom smiled. "Dear, I want to take you out to look for a wedding dress," she spoke and signed, "all of the shops are open tomorrow, and most people will be home preparing for dinner. It will be a lot less crowded."

"What is Gil going to do?" Sara questioned.

"He already volunteered to stay here and start cooking the turkey and all of the side dishes."

Grissom smiled when Sara shot him a death glare. Sara turned back to Mrs. Grissom and smiled. "I'd love to go," Sara answered, "hopefully you'll be a good influence on me and help me try and find something."

"I know some places with some beautiful wedding things. We can start out early tomorrow morning and go to a lot of the places."

"That sounds nice."

"Mom, I was hoping to take Sara over to the gallery tonight. Would you like to come along and give her your guided tour?" Grissom asked.

"I'd be glad to," Mrs. Grissom smiled.

Although Mrs. Grissom had given up working at the gallery about five years previous, she still liked to visit it frequently and was a consultant on some of the pieces when she was needed. "If you're not doing anything mom, maybe we can go there now before we have dinner. It'll probably be nice and quiet."

"Oh, I have no problem with noise," Mrs. Grissom smiled.

Sara giggled. "Mom, you know what I meant," Grissom groaned.

"Yes, I do," Mrs. Grissom smiled, "give me a few minutes to clean up, and I'll be ready to go."

Mrs. Grissom left the room and Grissom pulled Sara to him. "Hmm, you smell nice," he sniffed her hair.

"Thanks. So, you volunteered to stay home and cook?" Sara poked him in the side, "Did you suggest the idea in the first place?"

"No," Grissom stared at her innocently, "when mom heard that you hadn't picked out a dress yet, she said that she wanted to take you out shopping. She was worried about getting back here in time to start cooking, so I told her that I could take care of the cooking. That's better for you anyway."

Sara considered what he said. "Yeah, I guess that is better. That way you can cook the turkey while we're gone, and I won't have to smell it cooking."

Grissom pinched her nose and smiled. "You'll have a good time with mom."

"Yeah, I guess I will," she smiled, "she'll probably get me to stop stalling a little bit."

Grissom smiled and gave her a quick kiss before Mrs. Grissom returned to the living room. "Okay, all set," Mrs. Grissom stated.

They left the house and headed for the gallery.

* * *

After they returned home, Grissom and Sara said goodnight to Mrs. Grissom and headed for bed. Grissom was already in bed when Sara slid in in front of him. "The gallery was very nice," Sara spoke, snuggling into his chest.

"Yeah, my mom started it. She worked there for so long until she retired a few years ago," Grissom stroked the top of her head, "what time do you need to be up tomorrow?"

"Well, your mom wants to get going around eight, so I'd say about six thirty. She seems pretty excited to go."

"She never had a daughter to go through all of this with, so I think she's taken a liking to you. Don't worry, she doesn't bite," Grissom joked.

"It just makes me feel special."

"Well, you are special," Grissom kissed her neck.

"You know what I mean," Sara poked him.

"Yes, I do. Stop overanalyzing things, you'll have a good time," he stated.

"I'm sure I will."

Their conversation eventually drifted off as sleep consumed them both.

* * *

Sara shook Grissom after she had fully dressed. He opened his eyes and looked at her in confusion. "What?" he grumbled. 

Sara smiled and ruffled his hair. "Your mom and I are leaving to go shopping. She wanted me to remind you to cook the Thanksgiving dinner."

"Like I would forget," Grissom groaned, "have a good time honey."

Grissom pulled her down for a quick kiss. "Thanks Griss, I'll see you later."

Grissom watched as Sara practically skipped out of the door.

* * *

"I am a strong believer in the fact that you can't find what you like or don't like unless you start trying some things on," Mrs. Grissom stated once they entered a bridal gown shop, "so, let's go find the right size for you, and you can start trying some things on." 

Sara smiled and nodded. They walked back to where the dresses were and Sara started looking through a few things. Mrs. Grissom immediately found a strapless dress that was quite fancy and held it up. "That definitely is not the dress for me," Sara stated.

Mrs. Grissom continued to hold the dress, and she pointed toward the dressing room. "Go try it on and see how it fits. That way we'll know what kind of shape you need."

Sara reluctantly took the dress and went to try it on. When Sara took longer than fifteen minutes, Mrs. Grissom was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. "Sara, if you can't zip the dress, just let me in and I'll help you."

Sara struggled to keep the sides of the dress up and moved to open the door. She turned around and allowed Mrs. Grissom to zip the back of the dress the rest of the way up. Sara continued to hold the top of the dress up. "Well, we know the shape isn't quite right," Mrs. Grissom remarked.

"I don't have the goods to wear a dress like this," Sara scoffed, still holding the top of the dress up.

"Dear, quit worrying about that, you could wear a strapless dress just fine, but we have to get it in the right size. You're a toothpick Sara, you need a dress at least two sizes smaller than this one. You change out of this one and I'll find one a little smaller to start as a reference point."

Mrs. Grissom left and retrieved a slightly smaller dress from the rack. The dress had spaghetti straps that created a decorative pattern across the back, and it was a simple a-line cut. She fed the dress through the curtain and handed it to Sara. "Try this one on," she instructed.

Sara handed the other dress back and put on the new one. She opened the door again and allowed Mrs. Grissom to enter. "At least this one fits better," Sara stated.

"What do you think of this one?" Mrs. Grissom asked.

"I don't like all of the straps that are across the back, they make the dress seem more like a party dress than a wedding dress. However, the dress is closer to my size."

"Yes, it is," Mrs. Grissom remarked, "let's use this one as a reference and see if we can find something you like."

Sara nodded and allowed Mrs. Grissom to exit the dressing room. Sara changed back into her clothes and met Mrs. Grissom at the rack. "Sara, you know what you like, why don't you go through and see if you can find something. Then I can help you to decide."

Sara started to look through the dresses, and Mrs. Grissom went to another rack to look for anything that might catch her eye. After about half an hour, Sara hadn't found anything that she liked. She walked over to where Mrs. Grissom was standing and touched her shoulder. "Do you think we could try another store?" Sara asked, feeling discouraged that she hadn't found anything that she liked.

Mrs. Grissom turned further around, and Sara noticed that she was holding a dress in her hands. It was a strapless a-line gown with a single line of dainty blue beads carefully placed across the uppermost part of the dress. Sara almost gasped when she saw how nice the dress was. Mrs. Grissom smiled at her reaction. "It's a nice dress, isn't it?"

"That's beautiful," Sara found her voice.

Mrs. Grissom held it out to her. "What are you waiting for, go try it on."

"This is too beautiful."

"Don't be silly," Mrs. Grissom pushed her, "go put it on."

Sara disappeared within the dressing room and took her time putting the dress on. When she looked in the mirror she gasped. _I look so beautiful. This is the dress, this has to be the one. _Sara opened the door and allowed Mrs. Grissom to zip up the back of the dress for her. Mrs. Grissom stood still in the doorway when she saw the dress on Sara. "Please tell me you like this dress," she stated, "because I think this is the one."

Sara smiled and turned back around after Mrs. Grissom had zippered the dress. "This dress is perfect," Sara gloated.

"Yes it is dear, you look wonderful in it. Is the top tight enough?"

Sara nodded and smiled when Mrs. Grissom instructed her to twirl. "I think we're done here," Mrs. Grissom announced, "if you get changed back into your regular clothes, we can bring the dress up front and get everything taken care of."

After Mrs. Grissom left the room, Sara took another long glance in the mirror before starting to take the dress off. She was elated that she was able to find something so beautiful that she looked good in. She was also happy that she was able to use the time to bond with Grissom's mother.

* * *

The woman behind the cash register was quite pleasant, and everything was taken care of quite quickly. "How will you be paying for this today?" the woman asked. 

"Credit card," Mrs. Grissom stated, moving to pull out her wallet.

Sara put her hand on Mrs. Grissom's arm and looked her in the eye. "Mrs. Grissom, you're not paying for this," she stated.

Mrs. Grissom turned back to the cashier. "Would you excuse us for a minute dear?" Mrs. Grissom stated, pulling Sara away from the counter.

"I've never seen my son as happy as he is with you," Mrs. Grissom started, "You're such a nice girl, and I want to be able to give you something for the wedding."

"This is too much," Sara reasoned, "you barely know me..."

Mrs. Grissom cut her off. "Sara, Gil has been talking about you for years. I feel like I know you so well through him. He finally came to his senses and followed his feelings, and now the two of you are engaged. You're going to be the daughter I never had, and I want to give you something special."

Sara was nearly brought to tears by the woman's words. Mrs. Grissom pulled her in for a hug. When Sara pulled away, she smiled at Mrs. Grissom. "Thanks mom."

Mrs. Grissom smiled in return. "C'mon, let's get this paid for and give them the shipping information so we can enjoy some more girl time before we go back home."

After getting all of the information correct so the dress would be shipped to Las Vegas, Sara and Mrs. Grissom went to a small cafe to get some lunch. "Mrs. Grissom, you really didn't have to get the dress," Sara pointed out once again.

"I know, I wanted to," Mrs. Grissom stated, "I thought I told you to call me Melanie."

"Yes, Melanie," Sara stated, thinking it felt odd to call a woman twice her age by her first name.

"I have never seen a dress quite like that. That blue beading was very unique, but quite simple at the same time."

"I would have never guessed that there would be blue beading on a wedding dress, but the dress was so beautiful," Sara reminisced.

"And you too will be beautiful when you walk down that aisle. You know, it's not as far away as you think it is."

Sara smiled. "Gil was telling me the same thing. He is worried that I'll wait to long and end up too stressed out over things."

Mrs. Grissom smiled at her knowledge of Grissom's habits. "He loves you very much dear, and he cares about your well being."

"I know," Sara sighed, "but sometimes I think he worries more about me than I worry about me."

"Sometimes we all need a little bit of that," Mrs. Grissom reasoned, "if you get too caught up in work, you have him to turn to and vice versa."

Sara smiled at the depth of conversation that she was sharing with Grissom's mother. _I really do like this woman._

Sara and Mrs. Grissom finished their lunch and headed home.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

"Sara, you go on in and see how Gil's doing, I'm going to go get changed," Mrs. Grissom stated, walking through the entrance.

Sara headed out to the kitchen and found Grissom stirring a pot on the stove. He turned around when he heard Sara come through the door. "How was your shopping trip?" he asked, setting down the spoon.

"Good," Sara said, walking over to wrap her arms around him, "your mother is too nice."

Grissom kissed the top of her head. "Why?"

"I found a wedding dress," she stated.

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "And what does this have to do with my mother?"

"She insisted on paying for the dress."

Grissom rubbed her back. "I knew she wanted to get something for you, but she didn't tell me what."

"Well, she caught me totally off guard."

Mrs. Grissom walked into the kitchen and looked at the pots on the stove. Sara pulled away from Grissom. "Gil, did you get everything cooked?"

"Pretty much. The gravy is still cooking on the stove, and I didn't cook the potatoes yet," Grissom replied, "Sara tells me that you purchased her wedding dress?"

"Yes, consider that my wedding present to you both. When I saw how beautiful she looked in it I couldn't resist."

"Thank you mom," he moved to give her a hug, "I'm sure I'll be thanking you again when I see how beautiful she looks on our wedding day."

When Grissom pulled back, Mrs. Grissom pointed to the living room. "Gil, you're been working on dinner all day while we've been out. Take Sara and go sit down in the living room, I'll finish getting things ready for dinner."

"Mom, we can stay and help out," Grissom stated.

"Go," Mrs. Grissom shooed them toward the living room, "I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Grissom wrapped his arm around Sara and led her into the living room.

* * *

Grissom sat against the back of the couch and pulled Sara into his arms. "Did you really have a good time?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sara smiled, "it was kind of slow for a while because I couldn't find anything I liked, but then your mom held up a dress that was absolutely beautiful. I tried it on and we both agreed that it was perfect."

"That's wonderful," he kissed the top of her head, "I'm glad you had a good time."

"I've never had someone do anything like that for me before," she shared, tucking her head under his chin.

Grissom softly ran his hand up and down her arm. "You deserve to be happy," he reiterated.

"But it was just so..." she whispered, but Grissom brought a finger to her lips.

"Sara, it makes her happy to see you happy."

Sara nodded and tried to stop tears from falling down her face. When a sob caught in her throat, Grissom became concerned. "Sara?" he questioned, turning her around to face him.

Sara tried to keep herself together in front of Grissom, but another sob escaped and tears started to fall down her face. Grissom, knowing how private the two of them were, helped her off of the couch and upstairs to his bedroom. As soon as they got into the bedroom, Grissom wrapped his arms tight around her. "You're not alone honey," he comforted, "I love you, my mother loves you, and our friends love you."

Sara broke down and Grissom felt her start to slip in his arms. He laid her down on the bed and kept his arms wrapped tight around her as sobs continually racked her body. Sara suddenly went stiff in Grissom's arms, and she brought her hand to her mouth. She pushed herself out of his embrace and raced toward the bathroom. By the time Grissom had realized what was going on and followed her to the bathroom, Sara was sitting on the floor to the side of the toilet emptying the contents of her stomach. Grissom tried to pull her hair back and comfort her as waves of nausea washed over her. When her stomach quit protesting, Sara leaned back against the wall and tried to dry the tears on her face. Grissom handed Sara a cup of water, and she gladly washed out her mouth. "C'mon honey, I'll help you back to bed," he spoke, helping her off of the floor.

"Gil, dinner," she complained.

"Don't worry, it's still early, we still have plenty of time," Grissom kissed her forehead.

Grissom helped her into bed and under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her once again and tried to soothe her. Sara started to breathe slower, and she got her tears under control. "I wish my mother could have loved me like that," Sara whispered.

Grissom turned her around in his arms so he could look her in the eye. "Sara, we can't change the past," he caressed her face, "there are so many people who love you so much."

"That helps me feel a lot more secure," Sara admitted, "but it's so hard to forget what's happened."

"You'll never forget Sara."

"I know, that's what is so hard."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Gil, I don't think I can right now," Sara admitted.

Grissom pulled her in for another hug. "I understand. You know where I am when you're ready," Grissom smiled.

Sara gave him a small half grin. "I can't believe I'm ruining Thanksgiving," Sara mumbled, starting to turn away.

"You are not ruining Thanksgiving. It's still the early afternoon, and everything can be reheated if necessary. How do you feel?" he asked, rubbing his hand across her stomach.

"Like I worked myself into a wreck. My stomach is openly protesting."

Grissom lightly kissed her lips and kissed her forehead. "Why don't you try and get some rest and hopefully you'll feel better in a little while?"

"Griss, your mother is downstairs slaving away in the kitchen. I can't let her do all of the work," Sara protested.

"Sara, you don't feel good, you're upset. Get some rest so you can join us for dinner. I'll go help mom finish getting everything together."

Sara nodded her head as tears started to form in her eyes again. Leaning above her, Grissom took his thumbs and wiped away the newly formed tears. "Stop worrying honey," he chided, kissing her forehead, "get some rest. If you need anything, give a shout."

Sara smiled and nodded. Grissom briefly kissed her lips and left to help his mother in the kitchen.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

When Grissom entered the kitchen, his mother was leaning down to pull some potatoes from the oven. He walked closer so he wouldn't scare her and touched her shoulder once she had set the dish down. "Gil, what are you doing out here?" she scolded, "I told you I would call you when dinner was ready."

"I know mom, but Sara isn't feeling well. She's trying to rest now so she can join us for dinner. I wanted to come help you with anything that still needs to be prepared."

"Is she okay?" Mrs. Grissom asked in concern.

"She's just a little upset, that's all. You really surprised her by buying that dress."

"How could she be upset by that?"

"She's not mom, it's just complicated."

Mrs. Grissom, not wanting to pry, let it go. "Well, everything's ready for dinner," she gestured to the pots on the stove.

"Mom, why don't you go have a seat? I want to put the potatoes back in the oven to keep warm and cover everything else. That way we just need to warm everything when Sara wakes up."

Mrs. Grissom nodded and went to sit in the living room.

* * *

After Grissom recovered the food and put the potatoes back in the oven, he joined his mother in the living room. They had been speaking in sign for about a half an hour when Grissom heard some noise upstairs. "I'll go see how she's doing," Grissom told his mother before ascending the stairs.

When Grissom entered the bedroom, he found Sara sitting on the bed, a glass of water in hand. "How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed.

Sara groaned. "Just took migraine meds."

Grissom reached over and massaged her temple. "How bad?" he questioned.

"Throbbing, the lights are bothering me a little. Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, everything is sitting in the oven, waiting to be reheated if necessary."

"I want to come down for dinner."

"You can. When you're ready we'll heat everything up. There's no rush."

Sara put her hand on his arm. "No. Your mother has done so much work to put this meal together, I don't want to push it back."

"Sara, she understands, she won't mind," Grissom started.

"Gil, I would like to go down there now and have a nice dinner with your mother."

Grissom, not wanting to get her upset again, gave in. "Alright, I'll go start heating things up. Why don't you come sit down on the couch until everything is ready?"

"Sure, I'll take the time to rest a few more minutes before dinner."

Grissom helped her off of the bed and led her downstairs. Mrs. Grissom looked up when Sara sat down on the couch. "Sara, dear, how are you feeling?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm okay. I've just got a headache right now," she said, trying to assure her that everything was fine.

Grissom signed to his mother that he was going to heat up their dinner. "We could have waited longer for dinner if you needed," Mrs. Grissom told Sara.

"That's alright," Sara stated, "you spent a lot of time preparing dinner, we should at least eat it on time."

"That's nonsense," Mrs. Grissom scoffed.

"I'm fine," Sara reiterated.

"And I'm a spring chicken," Mrs. Grissom countered.

Sara leaned her head against the back of the couch and sighed. "Dear, I understand that you want to keep the holiday normal, but that's not necessary. You don't have to put up a facade for me. If you need to excuse yourself during dinner, don't worry about it."

Mrs. Grissom got up to help Grissom in the kitchen. Sara got up and touched her shoulder before she could leave. "Thank you," Sara signed, giving her a hug.

When Sara pulled away, she smiled. "You're such a wonderful mother," she spoke.

"Don't you start getting all sentimental on me," Mrs. Grissom smiled.

Sara emitted a small chuckle. "Come on, let's go see how Gil is doing in the kitchen," Mrs. Grissom directed.

* * *

Upon entering the kitchen, they were met with the wonderful aromas of mashed potatoes and squash. Grissom was putting the dishes on the table when they appeared. "Oh, you can't wait, can you?" he joked, "Everything is ready, I just have to finish putting it on the table. Have a seat."

Mrs. Grissom sat down at the head of the table, and Sara sat on her left. When everything was on the table, Grissom sat across from Sara. "Dig in," he stated.

After passing around food for a few minutes, they started eating once all of the food had been dished out. "Mom, this turkey is perfect," he complemented after taking a bite.

"Well, you cooked it," she replied.

"But you did all of the work and seasoned it. I will not take any credit for how good it tastes."

Sara smiled at the exchange of their small banter. "These baked potatoes are really good, so are the mixed vegetables," Sara announced.

"That's good dear, I wasn't exactly sure what to put with Thanksgiving dinner for you. I don't cook for vegetarians a lot."

Sara smiled. "Well, this meal is quite excellent. Consider yourself a success."

They continued to eat dinner, once in a while sprinkling in some casual conversation.

* * *

When they finished eating, Grissom and Sara started to clear the table. "Why don't you go get comfortable mom, Sara and I can take care of this," Grissom suggested.

"That's silly," Mrs. Grissom scoffed, "you are guests."

"You did so much preparation, Sara and I will clean up and bring you your dessert."

Mrs. Grissom considered arguing some more, but she decided that she did feel tired and could use a little rest. She exited the kitchen and headed for the living room.

Once his mother had left, Grissom took the dishes from Sara. "You can sit down too honey," he spoke.

"Nah, that's okay," Sara stated, "this'll go quicker with two of us anyway."

They were almost finished cleaning up the dishes when Sara leaned against the counter. Grissom immediately became concerned. "Sara, are you okay?" he asked, putting his hand on her hip.

Sara brought her hand to her head and looked like she might faint. Grissom supported her frame and led her over to a chair. Sara doubled over and held her head between her knees. Grissom ran his hand up and down her back. "Gil, I think I need to go lay down," she moaned.

Grissom didn't hesitate to pick her up and carry her through the living room to upstairs. His mother shot him a look of concern, but he ignored it and brought Sara into the bedroom. He laid Sara on the bed and left her momentarily to get her pajamas out of the dresser. He helped her undress and slid her under the covers. Sara laid under the covers with her eyes closed, and her hands still clutched her head. Grissom went into the bathroom and came back with a wet washcloth to put on her forehead. He sat next to her on the bed and held the washcloth to her forehead. "It feels like someone took an ax to my head," Sara mumbled.

"Maybe after you rest for a little while your medication will kick in and you'll start to feel a little better. You overdid it Sara."

Sara knew that she had pushed to hard and should have rested more earlier. "Is there anything I can do for you honey?"

"Gil, I just want to get some sleep. I feel like my body is just shutting down. You should go back downstairs and share some pumpkin pie with your mother."

"Sara," Grissom started, not wanting to leave her alone in pain, "I'd rather stay here with you in case you need anything."

"Gil, I'm just going to try and fall asleep. You should go back and visit with your mother."

Grissom was reluctant to leave, but felt that it would just further distress Sara if he stayed. "Sara, if you feel any worse, I want you to call me. If you need anything at all, don't move, call for me. I'll go have some pumpkin pie with mom, and then I'll be back," he said, kissing her lips.

With another fleeting glance, Grissom left the room.

* * *

Mrs. Grissom was ready and waiting in the living room when Grissom returned. "What happened, is she okay?" Mrs. Grissom spurted.

Grissom led her back over to the couch and sat down next to her. "She's got a really bad migraine. She had taken her medication before dinner, but she insisted that she didn't want to make dinner any later. So, she had been fighting the headache all through dinner, and it eventually caught up with her."

"Well, why aren't you up there?"

"She wanted me to come back down here and have pie with you. She's worried that she's ruined our visit."

"You need to make that girl come to her senses. She needs to take care of herself!"

"Mom, stop. She's stressed out about some things right now, but she wanted to be able to come and meet you. I agree, this time she went too far, but I talked to her about it."

Grissom got up from the couch and went out to the kitchen to cut the pumpkin pie.

* * *

After cutting the pie and making some tea, Grissom put everything on a tray and brought it back into the living room. "Gil, you know I'm just worried," Mrs. Grissom signed.

Grissom nodded and set the tray down on the coffee table. "I think I'm a little uptight because I'm worried about her too. This is the first time in a while that she's had back to back migraines."

Grissom and his mother took their respective pieces of pie. "What bothered her so much about the dress?" Mrs. Grissom asked.

Grissom thought before he spoke. "Sara didn't have the best environment growing up. I don't know all of the details, but I know that her parents poorly influenced her life a lot. She hasn't talked to them in a long time, and she is adamant about not having them at the wedding. So, when you made such a nice gesture of buying the dress for her, she thought about the types of things that she couldn't do with her parents. She sees you and wishes that her parents could have been like you."

"That's horrible," Mrs. Grissom gasped, "but Gil, she needs to confront her feelings."

"I know mom. She has confronted them before, and she thought she was over most of them. When she was kidnapped a lot of things started to come back. Then with the wedding, she starts thinking about different things. She knows I'm here for her when she's ready to talk."

"That's you Gil," Mrs. Grissom smiled, "always the listener."

Grissom smiled. When they had both finished their pie, Grissom took his mother's dishes and brought them out to the sink. After washing the few dishes, Grissom poured another cup of tea to bring up to Sara. Grissom bade his mother goodnight and headed back upstairs to his bedroom.

* * *

When he entered the room, he found Sara laying on her side, but she wasn't sleeping. Sara opened her eyes when he closed the door. "How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and brushing his hand across her forehead.

"The sharp pain has diminished, but I still don't feel that great. What's that?" she pointed to the cup he had set on the side table.

"I thought you might like some tea if you were still awake. Do you want it?"

"Is it decaf?" she questioned.

"Yes," he answered, reaching for the cup.

"Sure, I'll have some."

Sara sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard before taking the cup from Grissom. Grissom sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Mom's worried about you," he spoke.

"Gil, it's not her fault," she started to get upset.

Grissom started to rub her back and calm her down before she could start to overanalyze things. "I explained it to her, and she understands."

"Gil, I feel like I've ruined this whole trip."

"Quite the opposite honey," he moved behind her so he could wrap his arms around her, "my mother loves you, and she's looking forward to coming to our wedding. She was so happy that she was able to help you find a dress."

Sara smiled. "I know," she reminisced, "we were both gleaming when she held it up. I'm glad we came."

"So am I."

Sara reached over and set the cup back on the side table. "Go get undressed so you can join me," Sara squeezed his hand.

Grissom smiled and obligingly stripped down to his boxers. He climbed into bed next to her and pulled her against his chest. Grissom kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "Don't scare me like that again."

Sara put her hands over Grissom's hands. "Gil, I know I pushed it too far. My body definitely told me that. I wanted everything to be special, and I ended up with a killer migraine."

"You just need to be you honey. I've never seen you try to please anyone this much."

Sara reached around and poked Grissom in the stomach. "Hey, I know I messed up, you don't need to keep telling me I did."

Grissom gasped in mock shock when she poked him. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Maybe we can have a nice breakfast with your mother tomorrow before we have to leave," Sara contemplated.

"Yeah," Grissom replied, "we can make our pancakes."

Sara chuckled and tugged on Grissom's arms. "Let's try and get some sleep so we wake up on time," Sara said.

"Sure. Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," he kissed her neck again.

"I love you too," she replied, "thank you."

"No problem."

The two relaxed and tried to get to sleep.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

When Mrs. Grissom woke up, Grissom and Sara were in the kitchen making pancakes. "You two sure got up early," she remarked.

"We have to leave early mom," Grissom emphasized, "we wanted to have a nice breakfast with you before we left."

Mrs. Grissom sat down at the table. "Sara, dear, how are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," Sara replied, taking two of the pancakes from Grissom and putting them on the plate, "once I finally settled down and got some sleep I felt a lot better."

"That's good. I was worried about you there for a little while," Mrs. Grissom admitted.

Sara sighed. "I know, you told me before dinner that I could leave if I needed to, but I didn't. However, everything is fine now, and I'd like to have a peaceful breakfast with you before we have to leave," Sara took a brief pause, "it seems so soon."

"That's because it is. Two days is not a lot of time to visit."

Sara set down a plate of pancakes in front of Mrs. Grissom and sat next to her. "We did have a good time shopping and talking though," Sara remembered.

Grissom carried two more plates to the table and sat down across from Sara. Sara took a bite and smiled. "Mmm, heavenly."

Grissom smiled and Mrs. Grissom laughed. "Has Gil been charming you with his pancakes? That was the first thing he learned to cook, and his pancakes just keep getting better and better."

Sara kicked Grissom's foot under the table. "You never told me that."

"You never asked," he joked, a sly look on his face.

"Children," Mrs. Grissom stated, and all of them started to laugh.

After they finished eating, all of them cleaned up the dishes together. Once everything was put away, Grissom and Sara retreated to their bedroom to get ready to leave.

* * *

Grissom grabbed both of their bags and started down the stairs, Sara trailing right behind him. Mrs. Grissom was waiting for them in the living room. "Do you have everything?" she asked when Grissom set their bags down.

"Yes mom, I believe we do," Grissom replied.

"I'm so glad you could come," Mrs. Grissom said, pulling him into a hug.

Grissom smiled and pulled away. "It was good to see you."

"Likewise, and you brought your beautiful fiancee," she turned to Sara.

Sara blushed and accepted Mrs. Grissom's hug. "Dear, it was so nice to meet you," Mrs. Grissom stated, "give me a call if you need to talk or anything."

Sara smiled. "Thank you for helping me find the dress."

"We had a good time, and it suited you perfectly. You should give me a call when you get the package."

"Okay."

"Well then, we better get going," Grissom stated, picking up their bags, "bye mom, I love you."

"And I love both of you," she said, "have a safe trip home."

After Sara said goodbye, Grissom led her out the door and to the rental car. He put the bags in the back of the car and headed for the airport.

* * *

When they finally got on the plane, Grissom sat next to the window, and Sara took the aisle. She had her arm wrapped around his midsection and her head leaning on his shoulder. "I miss her already," Sara whispered.

Grissom chuckled and brushed his hand through her hair. "The wedding will be here soon enough, you'll see her then."

Sara smiled. "We had a good time, she seemed so happy."

"She is happy. She has plenty of time to do what she wants, and she usually still spends a lot of time at the gallery."

"That's good for her. Mmmm," she sighed, "Gil?"

"What?" he kissed the top of her head.

"I don't want to go back to work tonight."

"Stop the world," he deadpanned.

Sara pinched his thigh. "It just doesn't feel like we've gotten much rest."

"Yeah, I know, but we've got to get back to work. It was hard enough to get the two days."

Sara snuggled further into his side. "I hope shift isn't busy."

"Don't start worrying about work already, we don't have to be there until seven. Technically, we're still on vacation until then."

Sara poked him again. "You don't have to get so technical."

"Quit poking me," he grabbed her hand, "get some more rest and relax through the rest of the flight."

"Mmmhmm," Sara mumbled.

Sara leaned against Grissom throughout the rest of the flight and Grissom kept his eyes closed to try and relax. _The lab better not be a disaster._

* * *

"How was your trip?" Nick asked when Sara entered the locker room.

"Good, Grissom's mom was really nice. We went out shopping, and I found a wedding dress."

"That's good, but shopping on Thanksgiving?"

"That's why I said, but Gil's mom insisted that we go."

"Sounds like you really liked her."

"I did, I just wish the visit could have been longer."

Nick and Sara walked out to the break room and waited for Grissom to appear.

* * *

When Grissom entered the break room, everyone announced, "Welcome back!"

Grissom nodded and acted like nothing had happened. "Nick, Warrick, you've got a convenience store robbery. Cath, you and Sara have a suspicious circs. Greg, you're coming with me to an assault scene."

Everyone turned to leave the room, and Catherine and Sara lagged toward the back. "So, how was the trip?" Catherine asked as they walked out to the car.

"It went well. Gil's mom is really nice and we went shopping."

"Oh, you did? Was it crowded?"

"No, we went Thanksgiving morning. I found a wedding dress."

Catherine stopped and smiled at Sara. "You did?"

"Yeah, it's really nice.

"C'mon, we'll talk about this on the way, you wouldn't want any eavesdroppers to hear," Catherine joked, pulling her out to the car.

Once both of them had gotten into the car and pulled out of the parking lot, Catherine started in again. "So, what does the dress look like?"

"White strapless a-line gown. It has blue beading across the top of the dress."

"Blue?"

"Yeah. I had never seen anything like it, and it was beautiful."

"So, when do I get to see this dress?" Catherine prodded.

"They're going to be shipping it in a few weeks. After I get it, you can see it."

Catherine smiled and they continued on the way to the scene.

* * *

After finishing another night's work, Grissom and Sara returned to their house and lounged in the bedroom. Grissom was laying on his stomach on the bed and Sara was leaning above him, giving him a massage. "Griss, what the hell did you do at your scene?" Sara asked, feeling all of the knots in his back.

"My job," he snipped and groaned when Sara pushed on an especially tender area of his back, "it was a stabbing and there were unique blood patterns on the floor. I had to set up and take a lot of pictures. Overall, I spent a lot of time on my knees."

Sara raised an eyebrow but kept quiet. "Isn't that what you brought Greg with you for?"

"Sara, he's in the field to train, not to be used as a lackey."

"Oh, you changed your mind about him? You usually just send him to do the things that you don't want to do," she said lightly.

Grissom groaned again. "Sara, we are not discussing this."

"At least you're taking him out in the field more now. He really does want to get out of the lab."

"I know Sara. Please, we're home, let's not talk about work."

"Okay," she said, kissing the junction of his neck and shoulder.

Sara continued to give him a massage, but she stopped when she felt his vertebrae pop under her hands. "Wow, you really are an old man," she said facetiously.

"Come on, my back needs you, just massage."

"Hey, really, are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a few kinks that you are working out right now. The perils of old age."

Sara laughed and continued her massage. When she was finished she kissed the back of his neck. "Okay, does that feel better?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," he said turning over.

Grissom wrapped an arm around her and pulled her down on top of him. He sensually trailed kissed up her neck and deepened the kiss to her lips. "Griss, I just got rid of the kinks in your back," she moaned, "you don't need more."

Grissom slid his hands down the sides of her body and brought them up under her shirt. "I'm fine," he said, in between kisses, "I do believe you are overdressed for this occasion."

When Grissom pulled her shirt off and trailed his kisses downward, Sara gave up protesting and gave in to his desires.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Two weeks passed and Sara and Grissom started to get back into the swing of things. Though Sara had to work that evening, Grissom had the day off, and he decided to go Christmas shopping. Shopping, definitely not one of his favorite things to do, seemed necessary in order to get Sara the perfect gift. Grissom's first stop was at a small boutique within the mall. "Can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"No, I'm just browsing," Grissom stated, hoping to get the woman off his back so he would be free to roam the store.

The woman turned away, and Grissom glanced around the store. Mannequins were placed about the store displaying the newest creations of lingerie. He knew what Sara usually wore, but he wanted to get her something special, for the two of them. Grissom continued through the aisles of lingerie and sighed. _Why do there have to be so many different types? Men would never go through all of this crap._

Near the back of the store, Grissom finally found something he thought Sara would like. Grissom inspected the burgundy negligee, decided it was acceptable, and brought it to the cashier. After checking out, he continued through the mall to his next destination. _One down, one to go._

* * *

Grissom entered a jewelry shop and reminisced picking out Sara's engagement ring. He walked up to the clerk and spoke with him. "I'm looking for a white gold bracelet for my fiancee," he stated. 

"Ah Mr. Grissom, you're back. I take it she liked the engagement ring?"

"Yes she did," Grissom smiled.

Well, it was a beauty," the man gestured toward another display case, "come this way."

Grissom followed the man to a display case in the middle of the shop. "You'll find all of our selection in white gold bracelets right here. If you see something you like, call me back over."

Grissom nodded and the man went back to the front of the store. Grissom peered down into the display case and looked at the many choices in bracelets. Some were too gaudy, and some were just not Sara. Grissom came upon a bracelet with rubies and amethyst imbedded in it and knelt down to take a closer look. The gems were arranged in a pattern of flowers, and the bracelet was quite beautiful. Grissom envisioned the bracelet around Sara's wrist and smiled. He went back to the front of the store and asked to see the bracelet up close. The clerk opened the case and brought the bracelet up on top of the counter so Grissom could see it better. After a few minutes of close inspection, Grissom had made his decision. "I would like to take this bracelet," he announced.

"That is quite a nice choice," the clerk stated, "the way the stones are set in is quite nice. I think your fiancee will be happy."

Grissom smiled as he pulled out his credit card. "I sure hope so. However, the bracelet is beautiful enough yet simple enough for her to like. It's perfect."

After paying for the bracelet, Grissom took his packages and headed back out to his car. _Well, at least that's done. I hope she'll like the gifts._

* * *

When Grissom got home, he hid his purchases in the bottom drawer of his dresser. He rarely used the drawer anyway, and Sara would have no reason to go into it. After putting everything away, Grissom walked into the kitchen to prepare himself a snack. 

When his grilled-cheese sandwich was done cooking, Grissom sat down in the living room to watch television. Although there wasn't a lot on, Grissom settled on a penguin documentary. _I can't see how Nick can watch this stuff._ After finishing his sandwich and watching television for a little while, Grissom dozed off on the couch.

* * *

Grissom was startled awake when he heard the phone start ringing. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and made his way over to the phone. _Who is calling the house phone at this hour? Normal people are asleep, and Sara always calls my cell phone._ "Grissom," he stated sleepily into the phone. 

"Is this Dr. Gil Grissom?" the voice asked.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"My name is Dr. Anderson and I am with the medical center in Marina Del Ray."

Many thoughts crossed Grissom's mind, and he dropped into a nearby chair. "Mr. Grissom, I'm afraid I have some bad news," he continued.

Grissom's heart sank, all of the joy of the day long forgotten. Grissom kept silent, trying to control his emotions. "Dr. Grissom, I'm sorry to inform you that your mother has passed away."

Tears formed at his eyes and he struggled to form words. "How?" he croaked.

"She had a heart attack," the doctor stated, "she was at home and called the paramedics, but by the time they got there it was too late. They tried resuscitation and brought her to the hospital, but they failed. Dr. Grissom, I'm sorry to ask this, but will you be coming out here?"

Grissom drew in a shuddered breath. "I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Please release her body to the funeral home as she wished."

"Okay Dr. Grissom. Once again, I'm very sorry."

Grissom, not able to reply, pressed the off button on the phone and sat motionless in the chair. Tears streamed down his face, and he tried to catch his breath. He hit the speed dial for Sara's cell phone and waited for her to pick up. "Sidle," she answered.

"I need you to come home," he stated.

Sara thought he was joking. "Griss, shift is only half over and you miss me already? Be a man, wait it out," she joked back.

Grissom struggled to maintain is composure. "Sara, you need to come home, now," he demanded, his voice breaking.

Sara was taken aback by the emotion in his voice and cursed herself for joking around. "Gil, what is it?"

"Sara, please, just come home," he pleaded.

"Gil, stay where you are, I'll be right there."

Sara was extremely worried about what could cause Grissom to act that way. She packed away her things and found Catherine. "Cath, I've got an emergency at home, I have to leave," she stated, already heading toward the exit doors.

"Sara, wait," Catherine said, catching up to her, "what is it?"

Sara looked exasperated. "I don't know. Gil just called sounding really upset asking me to come home. I've got to go Cath," she said, moving to leave again.

"Go careful," Catherine said, allowing Sara to leave.

Sara ran out to her car and raced home.

* * *

When Sara arrived home, she ran up the stairs, unlocked the door, and called out for Grissom. "Gil, where are you?" she yelled. 

Not hearing any reply, she started to search the rooms of the house. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Grissom's shaking form curled into the armchair. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him while he cried. "Gil, what is it?" she asked, scared of the answer she might receive.

"Mom," he barely managed to get out between sobs.

Sara stiffened and felt tears start to form in her own eyes. "Gil," she started, but went silent when Grissom started to speak again.

"Doctor called...said she had a heart attack...that they didn't get there in time to help her," Grissom panted, succumbing to his tears once again.

Although it was tight, Sara slid in next to him in the chair and pulled Grissom closer to her. He had her pulled into a bear hug, and he showed no signs of letting go. Sara stroked his back and tried to comfort him as he cried, but by this time, she was openly sobbing also. They clung to each other as they poured out their pain and sorrow.

* * *

When Grissom's chest stopped heaving, Sara looked up at his face. All of his tears had dried, but his features were pulled into a perpetual frown. Their eyes locked and Grissom moved to speak. "I need to fly out today," he stated, emotionless. 

"I'm coming with you," she assured.

Grissom still held a death grip around Sara. "I can't believe this."

"Gil, I'm sorry," Sara comforted, "I can't imagine how you feel right now."

Grissom appeared to ignore the statement. "We were just there," he said airily.

"It's good that we were."

Grissom hesitated and kissed the top of her head. "Sara, we should go get ready to talk to the sheriff so we can get out of here quickly."

Sara nodded and waited for him to release her. Grissom pulled her in close one more time and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said into his chest.

Grissom let go of Sara and allowed her to retreat to the bedroom. After taking a few more minutes to think, Grissom followed her.

* * *

When Sara finished dressing, she returned to the living room to wait for Grissom. Although Grissom had opted to take a shower, Sara had decided that she would wait until they got to Marina Del Ray. She had put on some black dress pants and a lavender button down shirt. A few minutes later, Grissom emerged from the bedroom wearing a blue collared shirt with suit pants, and he was carrying a suit jacket. _If I'm going to be asking for favors I might as well look the part. _The frown was still plastered to Grissom's face, but he looked slightly more refreshed from the shower. "Are you ready to go?" Grissom asked Sara, breaking her from her reverie. 

"Oh, yeah," she said, getting up from the couch.

Wordlessly, Grissom pulled Sara into another bear hug and held her for a minute. When he let go, the two of them made their way out to the car and started toward the lab.

* * *

Grissom took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself before entering the sheriff's office. The sheriff had started to alternate his time on the clock so that he would be able to supervise what both day shift and night shift were doing. Not bothering to knock, Grissom opened the door and let himself in. Sara trailed in behind him and the sheriff looked up. "You look like hell Gil," the sheriff noticed. 

Grissom took in a sharp breath and tried to bite his tongue. _I'm asking for the favor here. _Thankfully, Sara stepped in for him. "Sheriff, if you could please spare the sarcasm," she stated, but he cut in before she could finish.

"Oh, I wasn't being sarcastic," the sheriff clarified.

Sara could notice that Grissom was becoming tense, and she wanted to evade any confrontation. The sheriff, however, seemed to get the conversation back on course. "Gil, Ms. Sidle, please have a seat," he gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, "now, what can I do for you?"

"Sara and I need to take an emergency leave of absence for a few days," Grissom cut to the chase.

"And why is that?"

"My mother passed away, and we need to fly out to make the funeral arrangements," Grissom said emotionless.

The sheriff appeared to digest all of the information and then started to reply. "Gil, you can go," he stated.

"What do you mean I can go?" Grissom asked, immediately suspicious.

"Ms. Sidle, you were on medical leave for quite a long time, and you just took Thanksgiving off."

Sara was instantly on the defensive. "Let me remind you that I was on medical leave because of someone else in this department, and the schedule was arranged so that I would have those days off. I still did my quota for the week," Sara huffed.

"I don't need to tell you that the holidays are a busy time of the year for the department," the sheriff stated, "I can only let one of you go. Gil, since you have seniority and it's your mother, you can go. Ms. Sidle, I can let you have off the day of the funeral."

Sara was extremely angry. "I could have managed that by myself," she barked, "this lab could survive a few days without us, this is just a bunch of political crap!"

Sara got up from her chair and turned to leave the room, but the sheriff had to get his last two cents in. "Ms. Sidle, if you don't show up for work tomorrow I will be forced to fire you."

Sara didn't want to leave Grissom alone in the room, but she felt that she might do more harm than good if she opened her mouth again. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door on the way. "Gil, you need to learn how to control your people, or should I say your fiancee?" the sheriff needled him.

"You know sheriff," Grissom said, standing up, "I think you've shown enough disrespect in this situation, don't make it worse. The department does have a policy toward family emergencies."

"Yes, but she's not exactly family yet, is she? We need the extra assistance at this time of the year."

"Believe me, the union will be hearing about this. I don't know why you are doing this, but you're an insensitive SOB," Grissom lost his cool.

Before the sheriff could reply, Grissom left the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

After Sara had left the sheriff's office fuming, she went out to the parking lot. She started to take her anger out on the car tires, and she kept kicking them repeatedly. When tears started to pour down her face, she sat on the ground and leaned against the wheel. 

When Grissom exited the building, he found Sara still sitting on the ground. He pulled her up off of the ground and wrapped his arms around her. "Shh," he whispered into her ear, trying to control his own emotions.

"He's such an ass," Sara snipped.

Grissom buried his head in her hair and took a few deep breaths so he would be able to speak. "Let's go home," he practically whispered.

Grissom loosened his hold on Sara and helped her into the passenger's seat. After he got into the car, Grissom clutched Sara's hand. "We'll talk about this when we get home," he said, starting the car.

Sara leaned against the window and stroked the back of Grissom's hand. _We were so happy, why did you have to take her away? How is he going to go out there alone?  
_

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

When they arrived home, Grissom retreated to the bedroom and closed the door. Sara stared at the closed bedroom door and shook her head. _He's going to start internalizing things again. _Sara took her shoes off and tossed them at the chair in disgust. After ridding herself of the constrictive lavender shirt, Sara laid down on her stomach on the couch in her pants and t-shirt. She laid her head in her crossed arms and tried to contemplate how she was going to work out the situation. _Gil needs me, there is no possible way that I can stay here and let him go by himself._

Grissom emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later and walked over to where Sara was laying down. He ran his hand up and down her back, and she turned her head toward him. Grissom leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek. Sara turned over and sat up a little so Grissom could sit with her on the couch. They sat silently for a few minutes, arm in arm, before Grissom spoke. "I called the airline, my flight leaves in three hours."

Sara stiffened and turned away. "Gil, you can't go and do this on your own. It's not right."

"And you can't lose your job. We can file a complaint afterward..."

Sara cut him off. "Afterward it's not going to make any difference," she snapped.

"Sara, right now I just want to get there and start making arrangements. I don't want to fight with you about this."

Sara pulled out of his arms. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm trying to help you grieve for your mother and that I wanted to be there for you. Go ahead, back down, do what you usually do."

Sara fled the couch and locked herself in the bedroom. She sat against the back of the door and stared to sob. _I know I overreacted, but why does he have to do this?_

_

* * *

_When Sara left the couch, Grissom didn't even try to reach for her. Although he knew she was upset with the news of his mother's death and was angry that the sheriff was spiting them, Grissom was having enough trouble dealing with his own emotions. They had told each other that they wouldn't drudge up the past, but Sara clearly referenced his previous insecurities. Grissom leaned forward and put his head in his hands. _I want Sara to come with me, but not at the expense of her job. _Grissom unclipped his cell phone from his belt and speed dialed Catherine. "Willows," she answered.

"Cath, it's Gil."

_Wow, he doesn't sound good. _"Gil, is everything okay, what's going on?" she blurted.

Grissom was in no mood to answer a barrage of questions. "Catherine, my mother passed away, and I need to fly out in a few hours."

"Gil, I'm so sorry, I know how close you were. Isn't Sara going with you though?"

"The sheriff said both of us couldn't go."

"What an ass!"

Grissom, wanting to finish up the conversation, interrupted her before she could go on a tangent. "Catherine, he's making Sara come into work next shift. I need you to keep an eye on her."

"Gil, she's not going to like that very much."

"Catherine, we already had an argument, and she's upset that she can't come to support me. I just need you to watch her and make sure she doesn't push herself too hard."

"Gil, when Sara's angry we really don't get along too well."

"Catherine, I don't have time for this, I need to go get ready to leave and spend some time with Sara. Please just keep an eye on her."

"Sure Gil. Try and talk to her before you go so she's not such a mess."

Grissom groaned. "Goodbye Catherine."

He closed his cell phone and sighed. _What can I say to her?_

* * *

Grissom walked down to the bedroom and tried the handle on the door. When it wouldn't budge he knocked. "Sara, can you let me in honey?" he pleaded. 

Sara pulled herself up from the floor and opened the door. Grissom pulled her into his arms as soon as he saw her tear-streaked face. "Gil, I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Grissom rubbed his arms across her back and shushed her. "Sara, don't. Things are tough right now, and we can't pull away from each other. It is not going to do us any good to argue about something we can't change."

"I'm sorry I overreacted, but I can't help but feel that you're pulling away from me. You always help me; I want to be able to help you through your pain."

"Sara, you are helping. I can't tell you how much I need you right now."

"Gil, I am here for you," she pressed her head into his chest.

Grissom kissed the top of her head and caressed her back. "I need to leave soon."

"Can you call me as soon as you get there?" Sara asked, looking up into his eyes, "I want to know that you got there safely."

"Sure honey. Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself for a few days?" he asked, concerned.

"I'll try and manage," she sighed.

Grissom tilted her chin up and gave her a brief kiss. "If you have any problems or you need to talk, call me," Grissom stated, "we've going to have to talk each other through all of this."

Sara met him for another kiss and ran her hand down his chest. "Let me help you pack," Sara stated, pulling them both further into the bedroom.

Grissom put his carry-on bag on the bed, and the two of them started to pile enough clothes in for a few days. When they were finished, Grissom zipped up the bag and set it on the floor. "Sara, I've got to leave honey," he said, holding her hands.

Sara plastered a small smile onto her face and tried to project a positive attitude. Grissom saw right through the facade. "Come here," he said, pulling her into his arms.

Grissom slowly ran his hands across her back. "She was so happy to meet you Sara, and she loved to have that time to spend with you."

Sara hiccupped and remembered the short time they had shared together. "Gil, you haven't said anything about how you feel."

Grissom stiffened slightly but quickly relaxed again. "I don't think the finality has sunk in yet," he admitted.

Sara, glad for even the smallest bit of insight, gave him another hug and pulled away. "If you need anything, call. Otherwise, I'll see you when I can finally leave."

Sara led Grissom out to the front door and shared another kiss with him. "I love you honey," he spoke.

"I love you too, be careful," she replied. _I don't know what I would do if I lost you too._

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

After Grissom left, Sara sat down on the couch and contemplated what she would do with the twelve hours she had before shift started. She knew she couldn't sit inside of the empty house alone, and she also knew that any attempts at sleep were useless. Sara trudged down the hallway to the bedroom and started rifling through her drawers. When she found the gym shorts and top that she wanted, she undressed and put the clothes on. _If I can't sleep I might as well get some exercise._

Locking up the house, Sara grabbed her keys and cell phone and put them into the zipper pockets in her shorts. She slipped the earbuds of her MP3 player into her ears and started off on her jog.

* * *

Sara had been running for about two hours when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She had lost all track of time and was absolutely exhausted. Sara came to a complete stop, pulled the earbuds out of her ears, and answered her cell phone. "Sidle," she said, panting. 

"Sara, you okay?" Nick asked, concerned.

"I'm out running. What do you need Nick?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. Catherine told us all what was going on. I'm sorry Sara."

Sara was still panting and struggling to pull in a deep breath. "The sheriff was being an ass and now Gil is off in Marina Del Ray all by himself."

"Sara, where are you?"

Sara looked around, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. "I just passed that grocery store you usually go to."

"Sara, that's almost ten miles from your house," Nick berated, concerned for her wellbeing, "do you have water with you?"

"No."

"Go into that park near there and sit down on one of the benches, I'm coming to get you."

"Nick, I can make my way back home," she whined.

"Sara, I don't even want to know how long you've been running, but I do know that I don't want you passing out somewhere on the street. Griss would kill us all. Go sit in the park and catch your breath, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Before Sara could protest, Nick had hung up. Sara groaned and went to sit down in the park. When she looked at her watch she realized how long she had been running. _I am so stupid. We've got enough problems right now and I've got Nick worrying about me because I pushed myself too far. I can't believe I've been running this long._

_

* * *

_When Nick pulled up, Sara had her head between her knees, and she was shaking. Nick grabbed two bottles of water and raced out of the car to her side. Nick brought her head back up and put a bottle of water in her hands. "Drink," he said, twisting the top off.

Sara started to drink, and her stomach started to feel queasy once again. Nick knew she looked green, but he also knew how important it was to get fluids back in her. "Ignore it Sara, just keep drinking."

Nick rubbed her back and realized how hot she really was. He opened the other bottle of water and started to douse her hair in the liquid. Sara shuddered and stopped drinking. "Nick, stop, I'm cold."

"Sara, you're not cold, you're overheated. I've got to get you cooled down. Please, keep drinking the water."

Sara started to drink once again. "Sara, do you think you're okay to walk?" Nick asked, figuring he could cool her down quicker with the air conditioning from his car.

Sara nodded and allowed Nick to help her off of the bench. When she stood up she instantly felt dizzy, but Nick grabbed onto her before she could fall. Nick wrapped his arm tight around her and led her to the car. He helped her into the passenger seat and took off her socks and sneakers. Afterward, Nick went around the car to get into the driver's seat. Nick put the key into the ignition and cranked up the air conditioning. "Sara, how do you feel?"

"Sick."

"Well, no one asked you to go out and run a marathon," he joked.

"I honestly had no idea I had been running so long. I didn't even know where I was until you asked me."

"Keep drinking that water. What you did was dangerous, you could have heat exhaustion."

"Nick, I'm fine, just take me home."

"You're coming back to my apartment, you're not staying in that house by yourself. You need a friend right now."

"Nick, I do not want to talk about this right now."

"We don't have to talk about anything, but I want you to know that I'm here if you need me."

Nick pulled away from the park and started back to his apartment. Sara leaned her head against the headrest and kept her eyes closed during the ride to Nick's apartment.

* * *

"Sara," Nick nudged her after he pulled into the driveway. 

Sara opened her eyes and looked around. "Nick, what's going on?" she asked, confused.

"Sara, we're at my place," he stated, "c'mon, let me help you inside."

Sara struggled to get out of the car, feeling the lactic acid start to kick in. Nick finally just picked her up and carried her into his house. "You've got the guest room," he announced, setting her down on the bed.

Nick left the room and returned a few minutes later with a pair of sweat pants and a dark t-shirt. "You might be more comfortable in these," Nick said, handing her the clothes.

"Thanks Nick."

"Anytime. You should try to get comfortable and get some sleep before shift, you're going to be pretty worn out. I'm going to be in my room trying to get some sleep, but come and wake me up if you need to talk."

Nick patted her shoulder before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as Nick left, Sara pulled herself out of her drenched clothes and put on the clothes that Nick had given her. She laid down in the bed, cell phone in hand, waiting for Grissom's call. After a few minutes, she fell asleep.

* * *

When Nick got into his room, he picked up his cell phone and called Grissom. He was greeted with voicemail. "Griss, it's Nick. First of all I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Also, I think you need to give Sara a call. She practically ran herself into heat exhaustion, and she's pretty worked up over the fact that she can't be there to help you. Right now she's safe, I've got her at my place, and I'll help keep an eye on her at work later. You don't need to call me back, but like I said, call Sara." 

Nick hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling. _He knows what he's doing, he'll call._

* * *

Sara woke up when her cell phone vibrated in her hand. She flipped open the phone and held it to her ear, hoping it was Grissom. "Sidle," she answered, somewhat sleepily. 

"Hey, honey," Grissom answered, "did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but that's okay, I wanted to talk to you."

"I heard you went on a little jog this morning."

Sara groaned. "Nick called you," Sara said, more a statement than a question.

"Yes, he's worried about you, as am I. Do you want to talk?"

"Gil, I couldn't sleep without you there, and I decided to go for a run to clear my head a little. I pretty much went into a trance, and I ran for a really long time without realizing what I was doing. That's when Nick called, found out where I was, and came to pick me up."

"Heat exhaustion, Sara? How long had you been running?"

"About two hours."

Despite the situation, Grissom emitted a slight chuckle. "How do you feel?"

"Like a truck ran me over. Lactic acid is a pain in the ass, literally."

Grissom chuckled again. "You want to do me a favor and try and take care of yourself so I can take comfort in the fact that you are safe?"

Sara tried to smile, but too many things were bothering her. "Did you get there okay?" she changed the subject.

Grissom frowned when she sidestepped his concern. "Sara, I am talking to you, I think I got here okay. Right now I'm waiting to rent a car. Sara, what can I do to help you?" he asked, knowing that any other questions would just upset her.

_Get me out to you. _"Gil, you've got enough on your plate, please don't worry about me."

"Sara, how can I not worry about you when you don't take care of yourself?"

Sara took a deep breath and tried to keep her emotions in check. "I'm worried about work," she admitted.

"Sara, you don't have to go out into the field, you can just stay in the lab and get some work done," he provided her with an outlet.

"That's not what I'm worried about, I'd actually welcome going out into the field."

Grissom was confused. "What are you worried about then?"

"Losing my cool."

"Sara, just think for a few seconds before you say anything. If something starts to bother you pull yourself out of the situation."

"I just don't want to run into the sheriff," she mumbled.

Grissom didn't want to start discussing the sheriff again, so he redirected the conversation. "Sara, remember, if you need to talk to me, call. I'd rather you take out your anger and stress on me than run yourself into the ground."

"Gil, I should be helping you."

"We're in this together, we're helping each other."

"Thank you, I love you," Sara stated, "and if you need anything, give me a call."

"Sure honey. I love you too."

Sara closed her cell phone and turned over in the bed. She looked at her watch and realized she could still get some sleep before she had to get ready for work. She snuggled into the pillows and tried to drift off once more.

* * *

When Nick woke up, Sara was still sleeping. He decided to give her some more time to rest while he showered and got dressed. When Nick returned from the bathroom a little while later, Sara was sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee in hand. "I see you made yourself at home," he joked. 

Sara picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "There's more in the kitchen for you."

"Well, I'm glad, being this is my apartment and all," he said facetiously.

Sara shot him another look and Nick grinned. "I need to go home and shower before I go to work. So, after you've taken your sweet time with your coffee, I'd like to get going."

Nick returned to the living room with his coffee and sat next to her on the couch. "Oh, I thought you wanted to go to work in that," he deadpanned.

Sara poked his side. "I'm serious Nick!"

"I know, you need all of that time to primp and look beautiful."

Sara went to poke him again, but Nick grabbed her hand. "I'm all ready," he stated, "let's go Sidle."

The two went out to the car and left for Sara's house.

* * *

Nick dropped Sara off, and he left for the lab after much persuasion. Sara entered her house and enjoyed an extremely long shower to try and work the kinks out of her body. Once she was dressed, Sara locked up the house and headed for the lab. _Please let me get through this day without incident._

* * *

When Sara entered the break room, Warrick and Nick were waiting to give her a hug. "We're here for you if you need us girl," Warrick said. 

"I'll be your shoulder," Greg gestured with his head.

Sara laughed and shook her head in amusement. She plopped herself down on the couch and looked up as Catherine entered the room. "Hi Sara," she spoke, giving her a warm smile.

"Hey Cath," Sara replied.

"Okay, we've got a busy night," Catherine rifled through the assignment slips, "Warrick, you've got a jewelry heist. Nick, you and Greg have a homicide. Sara, you're with me, we've got a B&E. Warrick, if you get done early, you can help Nick and Greg."

They headed out of the lab and to their respective scenes.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Catherine asked Sara in the car on the way to the scene. 

"Okay," Sara answered, "I'm mad that I'm here, but I'll do my job, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I wasn't referring to that at all. I see you're walking kind of stiff."

"Yeah, I had a little mishap earlier in the day."

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "A mishap?" Catherine questioned.

"Yeah, I ran about ten miles."

"Are you out of your mind?" Catherine exclaimed.

"It's a long story," Sara stated, "I'm okay though."

Catherine accepted Sara's answer and they continued the drive in silence.

* * *

When Catherine and Sara arrived at the scene, Brass informed them that it was a false alarm. Slightly ticked off, Catherine and Sara returned to the lab. "Sara, why don't you go meet Warrick at that jewelry heist, and I'll go help out Nick and Greg." 

Sara nodded and started to walk to her car. "If there's any problem page me," Catherine stated.

Sara and Catherine went their separate ways to go to their scenes.

* * *

"I can't believe that idiot left his prints all over the scene," Sara told Warrick as they put the evidence in the car. 

"Yeah, I know. Let's get this evidence back to the lab and see if anything else is going on."

* * *

When Warrick and Sara entered the lab, it was fairly quiet. They dropped their evidence off and continued through the hallway to the break room. When Sara went to get a water bottle out of the refrigerator, her beeper went off. Seconds later, Warrick's sounded also. Sara pulled the device up to eye level and read the display. _'419 - Brass'_ "Do you have what I have?" Sara asked. 

"419?"

"Yes. You drive, I'll call."

Sara and Warrick headed back out to the parking lot, and after Sara had gotten directions, took off for the scene.

* * *

Brass was waiting for them when they pulled up on scene. There were news vehicles everywhere, and reporters were harassing everyone in sight. Brass pulled them under the tape and inside of the crime scene. "Glad you guys finally got here," Brass sighed. 

"The swamp is insane out there. Where's the body?" Warrick asked.

"Bodies," Brass emphasized, "we've got five."

Sara's eyes practically bugged out of her head. "Sorry Sara," Brass stated, "everyone else is at the other homicide scene, and they're having their own problems."

Brass led them down the hallway and pointed toward a children's bedroom. "There's three children in there, all stabbed to death. In the kitchen there's a woman bludgeoned to death with a frying pan, and there's a male stabbed to death in the study. Back door was the point of entry, and there's multiple blood trails through the hallway."

Sara fought to keep the budding nausea down and tried to maintain her cool. She was already having enough trouble dealing with everything else, she didn't need to go process a scene with dead children. They were seriously understaffed and unprepared to handle a scene of that magnitude. "Why can't Catherine get over here?" Warrick took charge and asked Brass.

"They discovered remains at their scene. They're about in the same boat as we are."

Warrick sighed and turned to Sara. "How do you want to handle this?" he asked.

"I'll take the kitchen," Sara stated, not wanting to face the prospect of processing children at the moment.

"Alright, let me know if you get anything. I'll take the bedroom."

Sara and Warrick went their separate ways and started to process the scene.

* * *

When Sara finished processing the kitchen, she went back to where Warrick was working in the bedroom. Although she did not want to see the devastation in the room, she needed to talk to Warrick. "Warrick," she called, quickly glancing into the room. 

Sara gasped when she saw all of the blood all over the floor. She plastered a fake grin on her face in an effort to suppress the gag reflex. Warrick walked over to the door and looked at Sara with concern. "What do you need Sara?" he asked.

Sara's gaze returned to Warrick. "I finished processing the kitchen. My entire kit is emptied out," Sara stated.

"I'm not quite finished in here," Warrick stated, "we really need more help down here."

"Brass is trying to get day shift to come in and take over. We don't have the manpower to deal with this right now."

Warrick nodded. "Why don't you take that evidence back to the lab and come back with more supplies. I'm running low also."

"Okay, I'll be back in a little while."

* * *

When Sara left the house, her mind was so focused on the treachery inside that she had forgotten the maze of reporters that littered the front lawn. She looked up when a camera flashed in her face. "CSI Sidle, can you tell us what the scene is like inside?" 

Sara's eyes widened in horror when she saw the mob that lay ahead. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting the media attention. "This is a homicide scene, if you would just let the investigators do their job," Sara said, trying to push through the throng.

"CSI Sidle, isn't it true that your fiance, and head of night shift, is on leave?" another reporter pried.

"Yes it is, but that doesn't have anything to do with this investigation."

"But if he was here you might actually be able to process the scene faster. Why are you leaving when there is still more to process inside?"

Sara was getting extremely frustrated with the reporters. "I need to bring evidence back to the lab, and you are blocking my way," she tried to push through again.

"Ms. Sidle, don't you think it's a little soon to be investigating a multiple homicide one day after your future mother in law passed away? Don't you think it will impair your judgment?" a reporter pushed too far.

Sara snapped and lashed out at the reporters. "My personal life is none of your damn business, and it sure as hell doesn't interfere with my job!"

"It sure seems like it's interfering right now," a reporter further baited her.

Brass pushed under the crime scene tape and worked his way through the reporters to get to Sara. Her shoulders were visibly shaking, and he could tell that it was taking all that she had to try and keep herself together. Brass was finally able to get behind her and grab her shoulders. "Leave CSI Sidle alone," he bellowed, directing her through the crowd and toward his police vehicle.

Tears were streaming down Sara's face, and Brass was practically holding her up. "It's going to be okay," he tried to comfort her, "all of this crap is ending now."

Brass helped her into the car and drove away from the scene.

* * *

Throughout the entire drive, Sara had herself pressed to the door, staring out the window. Brass was on the phone with Catherine. "Cath, Warrick is the only one left at the scene right now. You have to send someone else over," Brass informed her. 

"What happened to Sara?"

"Let's just say that the news stations must be a disaster right now, and the sheriff is probably having a fit. They attacked her Cath."

"Where is she?"

"I've got her in the car, and I'm driving her back to the lab."

"Call in that plane ticket and get her on the next flight to Marina Del Ray."

"Sure Cath, I'll take care of her and make sure she gets to the airport in one piece."

Brass closed his cell phone and turned the car around. "Where are we going?" Sara whispered.

"Your house."

"Why?"

"You're done working. You're going to pack a bag and get ready to get on the next plane to Marina Del Ray."

Sara tried to fight her emotions, but a few more silent tears streamed down her face. "Don't worry about what happened at the scene," Brass stated, "I'll get it under control with the sheriff."

Sara groaned. "That has to be a mess," she sniffled.

"Well, at least you didn't sock anyone."

Sara's attempted chuckle came out more like a croak. "Take the couple of days and try and help Gil get through this. We'll take care of the mess here. When I'm done with you I'll make sure the evidence gets back to the lab."

Sara nodded and refocused her attention out the window.

* * *

After taking her to pack a bag, Brass brought Sara to the airport and sat with her until it was time for her flight to leave. Brass pulled her into an awkward hug before she could leave. "Take care," Brass said. 

Sara nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

Brass squeezed her hand one last time and allowed her to board the plane.

* * *

After Sara found her window seat, she pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed Grissom. "Grissom," he picked up, sounding slightly weary. 

"Gil," her voice broke, and she started to cry again.

"Sara, what's wrong?" he asked, his heart breaking when he heard her sobs.

"I'm coming," she stated through her tears.

"What happened?"

"It's not important now, I'll tell you when I get there. I'm on the plane right now."

"What time are you landing?"

"In an hour and a half."

"I'll meet you at the airport. Sara, take deep breaths and try to relax, we'll be together soon enough."

"I love you," her voice wavered.

"I love you too honey. I'll see you soon."

Sara closed her phone and leaned her head against the window. Tears poured down her face as she relinquished her pain and suffering. _The only mother I ever really had is gone, and now the rest of my life is falling apart around me. How can I keep doing this?_

_

* * *

_


	9. Chapter 9

When Sara got off of the plane, her eyes frantically darted around looking for Grissom. She knew she would have to head toward the baggage claim to find him, for security prevented him from getting to where she was, but she looked none the less. Sara finally spotted him near the entrance to the airport. When she reached him she threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. She started crying once again, and Grissom rubbed her back soothingly. "You're here now, everything is alright, you've got me."

Sara continued to cry, and many people within the airport were starting to turn their heads. "Come on Sara, let's go out to the car," he said, prying her off of his chest, but keeping an arm around her.

Sara leaned into his arm and allowed him to direct her out of the airport.

* * *

Once they got in the car, Sara lay across the seat with her head in Grissom's lap. He was casually stroking her hair and trying to comfort her. "It was awful Griss," she stated. 

"What happened?"

"Multiple homicide case."

"What! I told Cath to look after you," he growled.

"She ended up on a multiple homicide also. I don't know all of the details, but she had Nick and Greg with her processing the scene, and Warrick and I were working together on our scene. It wasn't the case so much though, it was the media attention."

"What happened?"

"They insinuated that you were slacking off on the job because you were here, and they determined that I couldn't possibly do my job because of issues with my personal life. I know I shouldn't have said anything back, but I got so angry and told them that my life was none of their business. Now the media is having a field day."

Grissom knew that she was worried about keeping her cool at the scene, and knew that she was too emotionally charged to even be working that day. "That'll give the sheriff something to work on," Grissom stated.

Sara twitched a smile and started to relax. "I think Cath had everything set up already," she stated.

"What do you mean?"

"She had already booked seats on the plane for me to come out here. When Brass rescued me from the sharks, he took me home to pack a bag and brought me straight to the airport."

"Well, they were looking out for you after all."

"You said something, didn't you?" she questioned, turning her head to look up into his face.

"Yeah, I asked Cath to keep an eye on you and make sure you didn't do too much," he admitted.

"I'm too tired to fight you about that right now, so I'll just keep quiet."

Grissom smiled and pinched her nose. "Why don't we get going back to the hotel?" he suggested.

"Hotel?" Sara questioned, sitting up.

"Yeah, I opted not to stay at mom's house."

Sara squeezed his hand reassuringly and did not press the issue. "Alright, let's go," she stated.

Grissom squeezed her hand back and started up the car.

* * *

Once back in the hotel room, Sara laid down on the bed while Grissom changed into something more comfortable. When he emerged, he sat on the side of the bed and started to massage her lower back. "You're so tense," he noted. 

"Yeah, well, that's what these things do to you," Sara mumbled.

"It's so good to have you here," Grissom stated, moving further up her back.

Sara sighed. "I would have gone insane if I had to stay at the lab any longer. The sheriff is probably cursing out anyone he can find."

Grissom smiled. "Well, I do feel better to have you here."

"Gil, how did things go today?" she asked, trying to judge his true emotions.

Grissom stopped his massage for a minute, but he then returned his attention to her back. "I met with the funeral director and set the wake for Thursday and the funeral for Friday. I had to go and pick out the casket and take care of a few other things."

Grissom's mind flashed back to the moment he saw her body. She looked so calm and peaceful, like she would wake up and ask him how his day had been. Grissom's hand hovered over her face, but he could not bring himself to touch her cold lifeless skin. This final image of his mother was burned into his memory.

Sara turned over and grasped Grissom's hands in hers after he had been quiet and still for a few minutes. Grissom was startled and tried to recover when a soft look of concern crossed Sara's face. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, stroking the backs of his hands.

"I keep seeing what she looked like on the table," he said, averting her eyes.

Sara sat up and leaned back against the headboard. She let go of his hand to cup his cheek and look into his eyes. "I am so sorry you had to go through that alone."

"That part," he sighed, "I think I needed to. We deal with death every day Sara, it seemed surreal that this time it hit close to home."

Sara kept quiet for a moment, contemplating how she could help him with his feelings. "You don't have to go through this alone."

"I'm not Sara," he tried to convey his feelings, "I just don't think I could have handled that with anyone else in the room."

Sara nodded, understanding how awkward the situation might have seemed. Grissom had already broken down once, he didn't want to go through the same situation again. Grissom slid up the bed and settled himself beside Sara. She wrapped an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "We need to go to the house tomorrow and start packing things up," Grissom stated, playing with the ends of her hair.

Sara turned her head and looked him in the eye. "We don't have to do this so soon," Sara replied, "we can come back at another time."

"I want to finish everything while we're here," he affirmed, "I don't want to come back."

Those six words spoke volumes. "Gil, you don't have to run," Sara spoke, and Grissom turned away.

"I'm not running," he managed to get out, "there just isn't anything here worth coming back to with mom gone."

"Gil, we can go slow and take all of the time that you need," Sara stated, turning his head back toward her.

Grissom nodded, but stayed silent for a few minutes. When he spoke again his voice was almost a whisper. "There are only a few things that I want to keep - pictures and such. As we go through, you can pick out anything that you want, and we'll box the rest up to go to charity. It's what she would have wanted."

Sara felt a tear slip down her cheek and she rushed to wipe it away. However, the tear did not go unnoticed, and Grissom pulled her into his arms. "Honey, I know you're hurting too," he spoke casually stroking her back.

Grissom knew that focusing on her pain would allow him to distance himself from his own. "She was so excited about the wedding and picking out the dress," Sara said airily.

A sad smile crossed Grissom's face. "She enjoyed spending that time with you honey," he continued to rub her back, "even though it was very brief, I feel better knowing that she got a chance to meet you."

A sob escaped Sara's chest, and she struggled to speak. "She treated me with respect, I could never get that from my own mother," she managed to say before tears started streaming down her face.

Grissom kept his arms wrapped tightly around her and kissed the top of her head. "Let it all out honey, you'll feel better," he comforted, "let it all out."

Sara continued to cry while Grissom held her. Eventually, her sobs were replaced with the soft even breaths of sleep. Grissom slid them both under the covers and drifted off to sleep soon after.

* * *

Sara awoke when she heard a deep moan beside her. Grissom's face was covered in sweat, and his forehead was creased with frown lines. Sara ran her hand over his chest to try and coax him awake. "Gil, it's me," she spoke, "everything is okay, you're safe." 

Grissom moaned again, and his hand came up to shield his face. Sara put her hand on his shoulder and started to shake him. "Gil, wake up, you're having a nightmare," she tried to rouse him.

"Gil, wake up!" she shook him again.

Grissom's eyes flew open, and he grabbed her arm. In turn, Sara's eyes widened in shock, and she tried to pull away. When Grissom realized it was Sara, he let go and started to apologize. She slid off of the bed and walked toward the bathroom. "I need a minute," she said, slipping the door closed.

_Wonderful, now I'm making her retreat. _Grissom put his head in his hands and tried to clear his mind. _She's gone, she's not coming back. I need to put back the pieces and move on with my life. I need to accept Sara's help and move forward.  
_

Sara emerged from the bathroom, breaking him out of his reverie. She had tried to cover up the fact that she had been crying, but she couldn't fool Grissom. She sat down next to him on the bed and put her hand on his knee. "I'm sorry," she spoke.

"No, I'm sorry," Grissom said, taking her hand in his, "are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm alright, you just scared me, that's all."

Grissom looked at her arm and saw a red mark where he had grabbed her. He ran his hand over it and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, I thought I was still dreaming."

Sara nodded. "What was so bad in that nightmare anyway?"

"It flashed to a lot of different things. Let's just say it wasn't pleasant," he said, not wanting to upset her further.

"Okay, why don't we try and get back to sleep then?" Sara suggested, turning to get into the bed and pull the covers back over them.

Grissom nodded and snuggled back in behind her. He tightly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "You know Gil," she teased, "I'm not going anywhere."

Grissom loosened his hold and kissed her hair again. "Good, because I don't think I could let you."

Sara smirked, and they allowed sleep to overtake them again.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

When they pulled up to the house the next morning, Grissom made no move to get out of the vehicle. Sara looked over in concern to see him staring out into space. "Gil," she spoke, resting her hand over his.

He snapped out of his reverie, and his gaze darted over to Sara. "Let's get going," he spoke, pulling away and opening his door.

They walked into the house together. Once they got inside, Grissom stopped and looked aimlessly around the house. He turned toward Sara and sighed. "Mom has some boxes in the closet. Can you take them and start packing up the clothes and things in her room?"

"Sure," she said, squeezing his hand, "where will you be?"

"I'm going to go up to the attic and start clearing out up there."

Sara nodded and ascended the stairs, leaving Grissom alone in the living room. He stole one more cursory glance of the space before climbing up the stairs to head for the attic.

* * *

When Sara entered Mrs. Grissom's room, she immediately noticed the peaceful decor. The walls were painted a pastel blue and everything inside of the room was neatly arranged. Sara set the boxes down on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the finite details of the room. A pale pink trim lined the room, and a picture of Grissom sat atop the dresser. She walked over and picked up the picture, recognizing that it had been taken about five years ago. His hair was less grey then, and fewer lines graced his face, but it was still the man that she loved. Sara placed the picture into a box of things to keep and then directed her attention to the closet. _I might as well do this first and get it done with. I can't imagine how Grissom is doing up in the attic all by himself._

Sara opened the closet door and was met with Mrs. Grissom's ample wardrobe. Many dresses occupied the rack, most of them from days when Mrs. Grissom was younger. Sara picked up each dress one by one, carefully folded it, and put it into a box to go to charity. She had most of the closet cleaned out when she spotted something shiny hanging on the end of the rack. Sara slid some of the dresses down the rack and was met with the shiny plastic of a garment bag. She took the dress out of the closet, pulled the plastic back, and admired the beautiful navy blue dress before her. Sara ran her hands over the satiny navy blue material. _This is probably what she was going to wear to the wedding. _Not being able to part with the dress just yet, Sara hung it on the back of the bedroom door and returned to her task.

_

* * *

_After Sara finished packing up everything in the bedroom, she climbed the attic stairs to see how Grissom was doing. When she reached the top, she saw Grissom sitting in the middle of the floor with various boxes around him. "How are you doing?" she asked, not daring to venture any closer.

Grissom jumped at the sound of her voice but quickly recovered. "Oh, I'm just going through different boxes of things. There are some things that I haven't seen in years."

"Like what?" Sara asked, her curiosity beckoning her closer.

"A letter I wrote to my mother when I was in elementary school," he stated, holding it up.

Sara ventured closer and took the letter from his hands.

_Dear Mom_,  
_I picked up a grasshopper during recess today. I tried to show it to the girls, but they all ran away and told the teacher that I had picked up something bad. I said that the grasshopper wouldn't hurt anyone, but she made me let it go. Now I have to write this letter to you saying that I won't bother the girls with grasshoppers again.  
Gil_

Sara laughed and returned the letter to him. "The teacher made you write this?" she asked.

"Yes, she didn't really like the fact that I picked up insects all of the time," Grissom reminisced.

"Oh, but you were trying to charm the girls," Sara joked.

"Something tells me it didn't work."

"It worked on me."

"Sans insects."

Sara smiled and started massaging his shoulders. "Everything is packed up from the bedroom except for whatever is in the safe at the back of the closet."

"I'll have to show you what's in there later. I wish I could say the same about the attic, I've still got a lot of boxes to go through. Can you start boxing up the pictures in the living room?"

"You want to keep them all, right?"

"The pictures, but not the frames. There should be some folders in one of her desk drawers, put them in a folder that we can take with us."

Sara stopped her massage and leaned down to kiss his temple. "Don't stay on the floor too long, your body will end up protesting."

"If I've had enough I'll take a break," he stated, "but for right now I'm going to keep sorting."

"Okay, I'm going back down to the living room."

Sara headed back down the stairs, and Grissom returned to the tedious job of sorting everything.

* * *

Sara took the pictures out of the frames one by one, placing the pictures in a folder and the frames in a box. Once everything was boxed up in the living room, Sara started to clean out the cabinets in the kitchen and rid the refrigerator of its contents. It was nearing one o'clock in the afternoon when she finished, and she decided to go back to the attic and check on Grissom. 

When Sara opened the door to the attic, she found Grissom staring at a picture, still sitting on the floor. She walked up behind him and ran her hands through his hair. "Who is that?" she asked, taking note of the picture that he was engrossed in.

"My father," Grissom replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you want me to..." Sara started to ask, reaching for the picture.

Grissom held it away from her. "No," he said, setting the picture down, "that was all so long ago. I don't need a picture of someone who never cared to be in my life."

Grissom took the picture out of the frame and added it to the trash in the garbage bag. He put the frame in a box for charity and turned toward Sara. "Did you finish downstairs?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything is packed up. I cleaned out the refrigerator also."

Sara tugged on Grissom's arms and helped him to get off of the floor. He stretched his legs and his hip popped. "See, I told you not to sit on the floor so long," Sara chided.

"Shush," he said, pulling her in for a loose hug.

"Do you want to have some lunch?" Sara asked, "It's almost one."

"Sure, I could use a break. Do you mind if we go out?"

Sara knew that Grissom needed a break from the house. "Okay, let's get going."

The two headed down the stairs and left to get lunch.

* * *

Grissom and Sara had decided to eat in a small vegetarian restaurant. The restaurant was fairly empty, and they chose a table in a corner of the restaurant, away from the general flow of traffic. Sara was eating a spinach vegetable wrap, and Grissom was picking at an eggplant salad. "Griss, you've got to eat something," Sara scolded. 

Grissom looked up and gave her a half smile. He finally ate a few pieces of salad to humor her. "What's on your mind?" Sara asked, concerned.

"I'm just thinking of different points in my life."

Sara tried to give him a comforting smile; death did strange things to people. "Oh, thinking about the playground and the girls again," Sara joked, trying to pull him back to the present.

Grissom shot her a cold glare. "Okay, okay," she recovered, "I'll stop mentioning the playground girls."

Grissom gave her a small smile in return. "I wouldn't want you to be jealous," he smirked.

Sara kicked his foot under the table and returned to eating her spinach wrap. Grissom still appeared to be pondering something, and Sara was anxious when he spoke. "I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't love my mother," he stated, still picking at his food.

"You were lucky to have a mother like her."

Grissom nodded and ate another piece of eggplant. "Although she was deaf, she didn't let comments or anything else related to her condition bother her. She was always there to help out if I needed it."

Sara reached out and covered his hand with hers. "It feels wonderful to be loved," Sara stated, looking him in the eye.

Grissom nodded and set his fork down on the plate. "Are you ready to go?" Grissom asked, noticing she had finished her spinach roll a while ago.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, let's get the check."

After Grissom paid the bill, they walked out to the car and started back to the house.

* * *

Grissom and Sara worked for a few more hours until everything in the house was packed into boxes and ready to be donated. Grissom wrapped his arms around Sara from behind, and he kissed the top of her head. "Come on," he spoke, "let me show you what's in the safe." 

When Grissom opened his mother's bedroom door, he saw the dress still hanging on the back of it. "I wonder what mom had that for. Did you forget to pack this dress away?"

"It was probably the dress she was going to wear to the wedding," Sara said, wrapping her arms around herself, "I found it in the back of her closet."

Grissom nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. "What do you want to do with it?" he asked patiently.

"I don't know. I felt bad putting it in a box, so I just hung it on the door at the time. I guess it would be best to give it to charity though, there really isn't a use for it now."

"We can carry it down and put it with the boxes. I'm sure the movers won't mind carrying one extra thing with them when they come to pick up everything."

Sara nodded and watched as Grissom walked into the closet and deftly entered the combination to the safe. Grissom opened the door and pulled out a small jewelry box. "Mom kept it in the safe because she felt compelled to use the safe for something. The safe was built into the house when she bought it."

Sara nodded and sat down on the bed next to Grissom when he sat down with the box. Grissom opened the box, and his hands went to a delicate silver necklace. He picked it up and admired it in his hand. "When I was in high school I won a science fair that gave a one-hundred dollar cash prize," he reminisced, "it was near my mom's birthday, so I decided I was going to get her a special gift. I went down to the jewelry store and spent hours picking out this necklace. The chain is so fine, and the intricate lace work of the butterfly is elegant. When I gave it to mom she said it was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen."

Grissom set the necklace in Sara's open palm and closed her fingers around it. "I want you to have it."

Sara opened her hand and took in the beauty of the necklace. The butterfly was carefully crafted, and it seemed as if you gave it color, it could fly away. "It's beautiful," Sara said in awe.

"That necklace was so unique, and my mother liked it so much, it's just one of the things that I wanted to keep."

Sara nodded and turned to hug him. Grissom took the necklace from her hand and fastened the clasp around her neck. "It looks good on you," he stated, turning her to face him again.

Sara reached up and felt the detail in the butterfly. "I can see why your mother liked this so much, you have good taste."

Grissom smiled a sad smile and wrapped his arms around her again. "Are you ready to load the car and lock up?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said, pulling away.

The two descended the stairs arm and arm, stealing last glances at the house that Grissom had called home.

* * *

After the few boxes of things to keep had been loaded into the car, Grissom and Sara stood in front of the house, arm in arm. "Such a wonderful life reduced to boxes," Grissom absent-mindedly stated. 

Sara pulled him closer and ran her hand up and down his back in a soothing motion. _Well, I guess this is it, my last glimpse of the house. So many memories. Devoid of mom, this house is meaningless. _Grissom turned around and pulled Sara toward the car. "Let's go," he spoke.

Sara nodded and allowed him to lead her to the car. She took one more glance at the landscape before he pulled away, the house behind them forever.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

When Sara woke up the next morning, she reached over to put her arm around Grissom, but all that met her was a cold sheet. She turned over and opened her eyes. Gazing across the room, Sara found Grissom sitting in a chair near the window. She got out of bed and padded over to where he was sitting, loosely draping her arms around his neck from behind. Grissom reached up and took her hands in his. "Good morning sleepyhead," he said, kissing her hand.

Sara yawned and rested her head against his. "You alright?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Ummhmm," she mumbled, kissing his temple.

Grissom let go of Sara's hands and reached around to pull her into his lap. "Do you feel okay?" he asked, stroking her leg, "You slept for a pretty long time."

"Really? What time is it?" she asked, pulling at his wrist.

"About ten," Grissom replied at the same time she looked at his watch.

"Wow, I guess I was tired," Sara said in disbelief.

"You never sleep that long," Grissom stated, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Sara shrugged, and Grissom changed the subject. "I ordered room service," Grissom stated, turning her toward the door, "we can have breakfast in bed if you want."

"I'd like that," Sara spoke, making no move to get up.

"It only got here about half an hour ago, it should still be pretty warm," he said, nudging her a little bit.

Sara got up from Grissom's lap and headed toward the room service cart. "Sara, why don't you get back in bed, I'll get your breakfast."

"Griss, I got it," Sara continued toward the cart.

"Sara, just let me do this," he said, catching up to her and putting his hand on her arm.

Sara was surprised that Grissom was so adamant about putting her breakfast together. Sara nodded and made her way back into the bed, fluffing up the pillows and leaning against the headboard. A few minutes later, Grissom sat beside her and handed her a plate of food. "Thanks," she said, taking the plate from him.

The two ate breakfast, barely speaking to each other the entire time.

* * *

Grissom and Sara spent the rest of the morning making phone calls and lounging in the hotel. Around noon, Grissom went into the bathroom to start getting ready for the wake. When Sara finished getting ready, she walked over to the bathroom door. "Honey, I'm going to go downstairs and talk to the front desk about getting the packages mailed home. I'll be right back," she said through the door. 

"Are you ready to leave?" he called back.

"Yeah."

"When you're done just stay down there, I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Sara exited the hotel room, leaving Grissom to finish getting ready.

* * *

Grissom looked in the mirror as he combed his hair. He noticed the dark circles beginning to form under his eyes and realized how tired he felt. _This week has been torture, I just need to hold it together enough to make it through the rest of today and tomorrow._

Grissom took one more look in the mirror and straightened his tie before exiting the bathroom. Grissom picked up his suit jacket off of the back of the chair and headed for the lobby.

When Grissom entered the lobby, he found Sara sitting in a chair near the door. "Are you ready?" Sara asked, getting up from the chair.

"Yes," he said, draping an arm around her waist and leading her out to the car.

"They're going to ship out the packages tomorrow," Sara spoke one they had started their drive to the funeral home.

Grissom nodded and kept driving. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white. He had been silent most of the drive, and although Sara understood his silence, she didn't like the fact that he was cutting off the circulation to his hands. "Gil," she said, looking over at him in concern, "give me your hand."

Grissom glanced over and complied. Sara took his hand in hers and squeezed it, massaging his fingers. Some of the tension left Grissom's body, and they drove the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

* * *

At the wake, Sara stood by as she watched various people give their condolences. Grissom did not appear to recognize many of the people, and a stoic look remained on his face as the mourners passed through. As it neared six o'clock, the last people finally departed, and the funeral director rolled the coffin back into the back room, out of sight. Sara was left alone with Grissom in the viewing room. Grissom stood staring at the door that the funeral director had disappeared through moments ago. Sara walked up behind him and rested her hand on his hip. "What can I do?" she asked. 

Grissom turned away from her. "I need to get out of here," he practically whispered.

"Okay," she spoke, directing him out of the funeral home.

Once they got outside, Grissom started to move toward the car. "Gil, give me the keys, I'll drive," Sara spoke, touching his arm.

Grissom relinquished the keys and got into the passenger seat. Sara started to drive back to the hotel, but Grissom spoke. "I don't want to go back just yet, follow my directions."

Sara nodded in assent, and all that could be heard the rest of the ride were various directional commands.

* * *

Grissom's directions led them to a beach not far from where his mother's house was. Grissom got out of the car and headed down onto the sand. Sara stayed in the car, regrouping for a few moments, before she joined Grissom on the beach. Sara linked her arm through his and leaned against his shoulder. "We should have gone back to the hotel and changed first," Sara spoke. 

"I don't want to stay long," Grissom reasoned, "I just want to look at the view."

Grissom pulled Sara in front of him and linked his hands with hers. "When I was a kid I used to come here all of the time," he reminisced, "there are plenty of specimens lurking in the water."

Sara smiled and leaned into him. "The view is beautiful," Sara spoke.

"Hmm," Grissom mumbled, "I remember waiting for things to wash up on the beach so I could go and study them. I spent more time here than I spent with humans."

"Now that doesn't surprise me."

Grissom kissed the top of her head and sighed. "I'm getting older Sara," he stated.

"So am I Griss, what's your point?"

"We don't live forever."

Sara turned around in his arms and looked him in the eye. "We can't worry about that, or we'll never live."

Grissom reached up and cupped her cheek. "I worry about leaving you behind. The years just keep creeping up on me."

Sara looked away as tears formed in her eyes. "Gil, you're the only one I love, you know that. I'm not going to sacrifice that just because you're getting older. Keep in mind that I have a clock that's ticking away too."

"I think about that too."

Sara grabbed Grissom's arm and started pulling him toward the car. "I'm taking you back to the hotel," she spoke, dragging him, "I'm not going to let you start drowning in what if's."

Grissom was at a loss for words, so he just got into the car. He could see that Sara was tense and upset, but he didn't know what to say to clear things up. When they got back to the hotel, Grissom entered the bathroom. Grissom stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers and turned the water on in the bathtub. When he exited the bathroom, he found Sara sitting on the bed, still fully clothed, tear streaks on her face. "You okay?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Yeah," Sara let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"That's why you're sitting here in the most uncomfortable clothes possible."

Sara shrugged. "I'm sorry," he spoke, rubbing her back, "I've got a lot of things on my mind right now."

"I just thought you were over all of that."

"I know that I love you, and you love me, but that still doesn't change time."

"I just prefer not to think about it I guess."

"Then what were you thinking about just now?"

"Things."

"Very descriptive Ms. Sidle."

A hint of a smile crossed Sara's face. "Come on, I started a bath for you," Grissom spoke, "I want you to get comfortable and relax."

"You're joining me," Sara spoke.

"No, I thought you'd want some me time."

"Nah, come on, you could benefit from some relaxation too. You go get in and I'll be right there."

Grissom nodded and went to get into the tub.

* * *

Sara entered the bathroom with a robe wrapped around her. After taking it off and setting it on the side, Sara lowered herself into the tub across from Grissom. Grissom picked up her foot and started to massage it. "Mmm," Sara moaned, relishing in his touch, "that feels good." 

"Good," Grissom said, continuing his ministrations.

Sara sunk lower into the tub and closed her eyes. When Grissom stopped massaging her feet, she looked up. "Come here," he spoke, reaching out his arms.

Sara turned around in the tub and leaned up against his chest, stroking small circles against his side. "Thank you for being there," Grissom spoke, kissing the top of her head.

"I'd like to think you'd do the same for me."

"I would. I want you to know that it was comforting knowing you were there."

Sara nodded and pressed a few kisses to his chest. Grissom started to stroke her hair while thoughts ran through his head. "Do you ever think about death?" Grissom hesitated.

"There are things worse than death, and I've been through enough of them."

When she answered, he figured that she might not mind talking about his thoughts. "You didn't answer my question."

"Griss, we deal with death every day, I don't want to talk about this. You shouldn't be thinking about this either."

Grissom reached down and wrapped his arms around her. "Please, hear me out, we've never talked about this. Though all of this has been so hard, I felt better knowing that I knew what mom's last wishes were, and that got me thinking. In our line of work, we take a lot of risks every day. If something were to happen to you, I think I would feel better knowing what your wishes were and how you wanted them carried out."

Sara stiffened in Grissom's embrace and started to pull away. "Gil," her voice caught in her throat, "I can't do this here."

Sara struggled to stand upright and ended up slipping on the bottom of the tub. Grissom was quick to reach his arms out to catch her before she could hit her head against the edge of the tub. "Are you okay?" he asked, easing her back into the tub.

Sara nodded as tears started to stream down her face. Grissom helped her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her before grabbing a towel of his own. Sara leaned against the wall and tried to slow her breathing, feeling a panic attack start to set in. Grissom wrapped his arm around her and led her out to the bed. Sara immediately dropped her head between her knees and struggled to regain control of her breathing. "Sara, you have to listen to me," Grissom spoke, putting his hands on her knees, "you need to breathe slower, take deep breaths."

Sara continued to hyperventilate, and Grissom tried to get her to concentrate. "Sara, you're safe, I'm here. Focus on my voice, you've got to calm down."

After another minute of Grissom's coaxing, Sara's quick breaths turned into normal ones with intermittent coughs. Sara started to shiver and continued to keep her head down. "I need to get changed," she managed to get out.

Grissom grabbed her pajamas and helped her to change into them. He slid her under the covers and got into the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. A few tears still streamed down her face, and she occasionally sniffled. "I want to be cremated," she sniffled, burying her head in his chest, "I know too much about death from this job, and your insects are not pleasant with it. There is no way anyone is putting me in a box in the ground to be bug food."

Grissom emitted a soft chuckle and kissed the top of her head. "If I'd have known I was going to upset you, I wouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."

"It's not that," Sara sighed, "there's just so many things going on, and I don't understand how you can just go and talk about things like nothing has happened. I don't like thinking about the prospect of waking up one day and you not being there."

"Sara, I'm not going anywhere, and I do have feelings."

"I know Gil," Sara spoke, stroking his chest, "but you have your own insecurities, and they start to bother me too. You're so much better at containing your emotions than I am."

"We'll see what you say about that after tomorrow."

Sara pulled him into a tight hug. "Gil, you've been so strong through all of this. I know I couldn't do what you've done."

Grissom nodded and kissed her lips. When Sara pulled away she spoke. "How about you?"

"What?"

"What are your wishes?"

"I want to be buried in a simple biodegradable pine box."

Sara nodded and sighed. "I'm a mess, aren't I?" she said, reaching up to brush her tears away.

"No, you're beautiful," Grissom kissed her again.

Grissom put his hands on Sara's waist and deepened the kiss. Sara ran her hands up Grissom's sides and dangled them up in his hair. Sara moaned when one of Grissom's hands drifted lower and teased with the waistband of her panties. Moments later one of his hands drifted higher, bringing her pajama top with it. Grissom momentarily pulled away from the kiss to look Sara in the eye. "Are you okay with this?" Grissom asked, unsure of her current mood.

"Since when have you had to ask," Sara said, flipping him onto his back.

Their current problems pushed to the backs of their minds, Grissom and Sara reaffirmed their love for each other.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Grissom woke up the next morning to the sounds of Sara showering in the bathroom. He looked at his watch and realized that he had an hour to get ready. Grissom heard the water turn off as he started to open the door to the bathroom. "Hey honey, I was just going to join you," Grissom spoke.

"Oh," Sara said, peeking her head out from behind the shower curtain, "I didn't know you were up. Can you hand me a towel?"

Grissom complied and made sure she got out of the tub safely. "It's all yours," Sara smiled.

Grissom gave her a quick kiss and let her leave the bathroom so he could shower.

* * *

Sara carefully blow-dried her hair and pulled it back from her face. She fastened Mrs. Grissom's necklace around her neck and looked in the mirror to see if anything was out of place in her outfit. Satisfied that she looked acceptable to attend the funeral, Sara sat in a chair and waited for Grissom to emerge from the bathroom. 

A few minutes later, Grissom came out of the bathroom fully dressed with a tie in his hand. "Sara, can you please tie this damn thing?" he said, frustrated.

Sara walked over to him and took the tie from his grasp. She deftly tied the tie and stood back to admire her work. "There," she spoke, "much better."

Grissom nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on. "Thanks Sara, I usually don't have trouble with those things."

Sara smirked and picked his jacket up off of the chair. "Do you have everything ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me finish tying my shoes, and we can leave," Grissom glanced down at his shoes but looked back up, "You're wearing mom's necklace," he noticed.

"Yes, I wanted to," Sara spoke.

Grissom nodded, understanding that she somehow wanted to feel closer to her. Grissom finished tying his shoes, took his jacket from Sara, and escorted her out the door.

* * *

Grissom and Sara sat in the front pew of the church and listened as the minister spoke. When it came time for Grissom to eulogize his mother, Sara gave his hand a tight squeeze before he rose to speak. "To all of you who knew my mother, she was a wonderful person. She spent many hours at the gallery and loved to help anyone out with any projects that they needed done. She was a kind soul, and even though she could not hear, she knew how much she was loved. My mother is at peace now, but the lessons she taught so many of us will be carried on through our lives. She may be gone, but she sure will not be forgotten." 

Grissom returned to his seat and accepted Sara's hand as comfort. Her other hand held a tissue to her eye, desperately trying to contain her tears. Grissom squeezed her hand, and they somehow made it through the rest of the funeral.

* * *

After everyone had said their final goodbyes and left the gravesite, Grissom and Sara were left alone, holding one another. The cemetery workers had already lowered the coffin and filled in the grave, and Sara kept glancing toward the newly laid sod. Grissom reached up and cupped Sara's cheek. "Do you want to say something?" he asked. 

"She's gone, what would it help?" she sniffled through tears.

"It could give you closure," Grissom spoke, "I know it will help me."

Sara pulled away from Grissom and picked up the few carnations that she brought with her. She sat down on the ground and faced toward the grave. "I know I only knew you a short time," Sara's voice shuddered, "but you truly impacted my life. You took the time and helped me sort some things out."

Sara stopped and took a breath before she continued. "I brought some flowers because you would have liked them, I'm sorry it couldn't have been a plant."

Sara set the flowers down in front of the headstone and ran her fingers across the cool engraving. She then sat there, staring off into space. When Grissom rested his hands on her shoulders she jumped. "Aren't you going to say something?" Sara asked.

"I already did," he stated, "she knows I loved her, and that's all that matters."

Grissom set a single white rose in front of her headstone and pulled Sara up from the ground. "Let's go home," Grissom spoke.

Sara wrapped his arms around him, and they led each other to the car.

* * *

After packing their bags at the hotel and changing into more comfortable clothes, Grissom and Sara went to the airport and finally boarded their plane. They were extremely exhausted, so they both took naps on their flight home. When they arrived back in Las Vegas at six o'clock in the evening, Grissom immediately drove them home. After they both got undressed, they decided to cuddle together and go to bed.

* * *

Halfway through the night, Grissom woke with a start. Sweat which was already pouring down his face was soon joined by tears of sorrow. He tried to regain control of himself and halt their falling, but his body was emotionally exhausted and finally giving in to its feelings. It didn't take long for Sara to awaken, find him sobbing, and pull him into her arms. "Gil, don't fight it," she soothed, rubbing small circles into his back, "you've got to let it out or it will eat you alive." 

Sara continued to hold him while his body shook with sobs. When his tears finally started to subside, Sara tried to loosen her hold on him, but Grissom had her in a death grip. "Gil, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," Grissom nodded, his voice hoarse, but he still didn't ease up on his grasp.

"Gil, you said it yourself. Your mother knew that she was loved, and you'll always carry her with you," Sara said, placing her hand on his chest, over his heart.

"It's just going to take some time for that to settle in. She's not going to be right there to call on anymore."

"But I am here for you, and I can help you through this."

"I know, and that's why I've been able to keep it together for so long."

They stayed in each other's arms for a little while longer before Grissom spoke again. "Are you going to be ready to go back to work next shift?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, I think so, but if you're not ready you can take another day."

"No, I was planning on going back next shift too. We've got some things to work out with the sheriff."

Sara groaned. "I'm sure he'll have plenty to say about the media fiasco. I'm not really looking forward to that."

"We'll get it all figured out," Grissom looked at his watch, "it's about mid-shift now, I'm going to call Catherine and tell her that we'll be coming in next shift."

Sara nodded and allowed him to reach onto the side table to get his cell phone. "Willows," she picked up.

"Hey Cath, it's Gil, how is it going at the lab?" he asked.

"Just wonderful," Catherine groaned, "the sheriff wants to see the two of you as soon as you get back."

"About?"

"Sara, the media."

"Oh, yeah, she told me about that."

"Gil, she was a mess."

"I know, I met her at the airport," Grissom paused, "listen Cath, I'm calling to tell you that Sara and I will be in next shift."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, we got back tonight, we left right after the funeral."

"Gil, if you need anything, just ask, I know this is a tough time for you right now."

"You've already helped enough Cath. I'll see you next shift."

"Okay Gil, take care and tell Sara I said hi."

Grissom closed the cell phone and pulled Sara back into his arms. "Cath says hi," he spoke, kissing her behind the ear.

"I heard," Sara replied, giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Let's catch up on some more sleep so we're actually able to function," Grissom spoke.

"That sounds good to me."

Sara allowed Grissom to spoon behind her and wrap his arms around her midsection. He placed another kiss in her hair and they both slowly fell asleep.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

When Sara walked into work that evening, everyone seemed to turn their heads and stare at her. She felt uneasy so she hurried toward the break room. After grabbing a cup of coffee, she sat down on the couch and waited for assignments to be handed out. As if on cue, the sheriff walked in the door seconds later. "Ms. Sidle, I heard you would be back tonight," he spoke, an evil smirk crossing his face.

"And I suppose you were just drifting by," Sara's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Please, come with me to my office, we need to talk about a few things."

"I'd like to wait for Grissom to come in," she said, hoping he would enter the building soon.

"No, I think we can go have our little chat now," the sheriff demanded.

Sara got up from the couch and followed the sheriff to his office.

* * *

Once inside his office, the sheriff gestured for Sara to sit down. Sara complied and gave the sheriff a blank stare. "Ms. Sidle, would you like to explain your departure from a crime scene last Monday?" the sheriff asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. 

"I was instructed by my interim supervisor to depart work and meet Grissom in Marina Del Rey."

"Oh, so you just up and left? That's not very professional behavior Ms. Sidle."

"So it is professional to not grant someone leave when a family member dies?" Sara countered.

"She wasn't family to you," the sheriff sneered.

"Sheriff, what is this really about?" Sara redirected the conversation.

"Would you care to explain your statements to the media?"

"They were inhibiting my path to carry evidence back to my vehicle."

"Your personal life does in fact interfere with your job Ms. Sidle, doesn't it?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I am nothing but objective at my crime scenes."

"So objective that you have the media doubting the lab's ability to stay impartial with cases?"

"I have nothing to do with that. The press was just trying to put words in my mouth."

"Did you, or did you not say that "My personal life is none of your damn business, and it sure as hell doesn't interfere with my job!"?"

"Yes, I said that."

"And do you think that is proper representation of this lab?"

"It's the truth."

"That wasn't my question Ms. Sidle."

"Sheriff, if you would like my professional opinion, I don't even think I should have been working that night, but that wasn't my choice, was it? You decided to go and let Grissom go off to California, and you threatened my job if I didn't stay here. I was an emotional wreck, I admit that, but it was not my fault that the reporters were trying to exploit that."

"It is your fault that you took the bait."

"Sheriff, what do you want me to say? Whatever I do, you're going to have a problem with it, so why don't you just go and put the words in my mouth."

"You are a liability to this lab."

"I have the highest solve rate in this lab!" Sara started to raise her voice.

"Your relationship with Gil has been a constant problem for this lab."

"A problem for the lab or a problem for you? Grissom and I have been nothing but professional!" Sara shouted.

"Ms. Sidle, need I remind you that I have the power to fire you? You might want to take a more rational approach to this."

"There are people in this lab that have made many more mistakes than I have."

"Are you suggesting I fire them instead?"

"No!" Sara shouted again, "I'm merely stating that I don't think your line of questioning is rational."

"We are talking about you Ms. Sidle, not other people. How would you feel if I told you that the two men who killed those five family members are going to get off because of your hasty actions against the reporters?"

Sara's mouth clamped shut as she contemplated the new information. "How?"

"The credibility of the lab was taken into question when the reporters started trying to figure out why you were at the scene to begin with."

"I was there because it was my assignment for that night, and you told me that I had to report to work. Are you mad because the lab's credibility was taken into question, or because your credibility was taken into question?" Sara stared at the sheriff.

"Two murderers are getting off because of what you did!" he shouted, "do you comprehend the seriousness of this?"

Sara shuddered, but like a professional, she did not let her feelings show. "Sheriff, if anyone is to blame for me being there in that situation, it is you. You are just trying to cover your own ass."

"Ms. Sidle, I suggest you learn some self control and treat me with respect."

"I think this interrogation session is over sheriff," Sara said, moving to get up from the chair.

The sheriff slammed his fist down on the desk, and Sara dropped back into the chair. "You have put the lab in a tough spot," the sheriff stated.

"I collected plenty of evidence to make a case against whoever is involved."

"Oh, but that is tainted. Everything you collected is void."

"That's not possible!" Sara's face started to redden with anger.

"Oh, so you are a smart CSI. It sure took you long enough."

"Excuse me?"

"We have the two men in custody on five counts of murder."

Sara frowned in realization that the sheriff had been lying to her the entire time. "What did you think you would accomplish by lying to me? Surely that's not in your professional code, or does that change when it applies to you?" Sara shouted.

The sheriff started yelling to verbally attack her once again.

* * *

When Grissom entered the lab, he found everyone except Sara in the break room. "Where's Sara?" he asked no one in particular. 

"The sheriff took her up to his office," Greg said.

Grissom stormed out of the break room and raced to the sheriff's office, his pulse already increasing with his anger.

* * *

"I have to have some way to get through to you when you are too busy sleeping with your boss!" Grissom heard the sheriff shout just as he got to the door. 

Grissom threw open the door, steam practically rolling off of his body. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Dr. Grissom himself."

Grissom took one look at Sara and knew that he had been badgering her for a while. "Sheriff, you and I are going to have a little talk," Grissom spoke, "Sara, please go wait outside."

Sara shot him a look, but she complied. As soon as she closed the door, Grissom started again. "This is unreasonable sheriff, you do not talk to my CSIs like that."

"Oh, how sweet, you're sticking up for your fiancee."

"When we are inside of this building, we are fellow CSIs. We've already had this conversation, what is the problem now?"

"I don't need a repeat of this media fiasco."

"Well, you could have avoided the whole thing in the first place."

"Gil, you don't understand my position."

"Oh, I think I understand your motives very well. You want to look good for the public so you can become mayor."

"So you do understand politics Mr. Grissom."

"Understand this. If you have a problem with my CSIs, you come to me. Otherwise, stay the hell away from them."

Grissom turned around and went to open the door. "Gil," the sheriff called.

"We are finished with this conversation sheriff, I don't expect to have any more problems with you in the near future."

Grissom closed the door quite loudly behind him and reentered the hallway. Sara was leaning up against the wall near the door. "Come on," he said, taking her hand, "let's go hand out assignments."

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

"Nick, Sara, you've got a B&E," Grissom spoke, starting to hand out assignments, "Cath, you and Warrick take the suspected suicide, Greg, come with me, I'm taking you to a hit and run."

Grissom left the room as soon as he handed out the assignments, and Greg followed him. "Sure, he takes Greg because he'll ask the least questions," Catherine muttered.

Sara shot Catherine an icy stare. "Why can't you just mind your own business sometime?"

"You don't think it's any of my business what happened during my shift?" Catherine snapped back.

"You don't care what really happened, you just want the information so you can gossip!" Sara shouted.

Warrick stepped in between them and spread them apart. "We've got jobs to do. Catherine, let's go."

Warrick dragged Catherine out the door and Nick appeared in front of Sara. "Come on," he spoke, resting a hand on her arm, "we should get going too."

Sara nodded and the two walked out the door.

* * *

Halfway through shift, Catherine and Warrick had just finished collecting evidence from the suicide scene. They had stayed completely silent the entire time, and Catherine finally spoke when they got back into the car. "I can't believe her!" Catherine spoke. 

"Cath, are you still thinking about that? That was hours ago!"

"You know as well as I do that Griss is trying to suppress everything."

"Cath, I'm sure he and Sara have talked about things, and they wouldn't be here if they weren't ready to come back."

"Yeah, right," Catherine's reply dripped with sarcasm.

"Cath, I know what you're trying to do, but stop. You know how Grissom and Sara are, and they're not going to appreciate you poking into their business. He just lost his mother Cath, at least give him a little break before you start badgering him about something."

Catherine was put off by Warrick's statement, and she turned to stare out the window. "I suggest you make amends with Sara," Warrick spoke, "remember that she too had just come back from arguing with the sheriff."

Catherine remained silent, and it was a long awkward drive back to the lab.

* * *

"Greg, what do you see?" Grissom asked, the two of them standing by the victim's body in the morgue, Dr. Robbins standing at the head. 

"Textbook marks at the knees, the victim was hit head on, facing the car," Greg stated.

"Very good," Grissom noted.

"The vic has two numbers off of a license plate bruised into his leg. That with the green paint transfer, you might be able to narrow the field somewhat," Dr. Robbins relayed.

"COD?" Grissom asked.

"Blunt force trauma to the head, most likely from impact with the ground. His skull is shattered," Dr. Robbins pointed to the x-rays.

"Thanks Al," Grissom said, turning to leave the morgue.

Greg followed behind him and went to trace to start analyzing the paint.

* * *

"How was your little chat with the sheriff?" Nick asked Sara once they had brought the evidence from the B&E back to the lab. 

Sara shrugged her shoulders and continued dusting for prints. "He was just trying to assert his power. He said a whole bunch of crap that was extremely accusatory."

"About what?"

"Griss and I."

"And?"

"Griss told him off. Told him he better not have any more problems with him in the near future."

Nick smiled. "That must have been entertaining."

"I was outside the door."

"Ahh, so he was protecting you too."

"Shut up Nick," Sara spoke, kicking his foot under the table.

The two ended their banter and returned to dusting for prints.

* * *

At the end of shift, Sara sat in the break room, waiting for Grissom to finish up in his office. "How was your scene?" Catherine asked, entering the break room. 

"Okay, pretty cut and dry. The home owner was trying to stage a robbery; Brass is talking to him now."

Catherine nodded. "Did the sheriff give you a hard time?"

"Yeah, his usual. He was making a lot of false accusations."

"Sara, sorry about before."

"Yeah, well, I wish you would quit doing that. Grissom doesn't need a keeper, we make out quite fine together."

"Oh, I can imagine," Catherine joked, a grin stretching across her face.

Sara blushed. "Cath," she said, exasperated.

"Okay, okay. I'll try and stop, but you know me."

"Cath, just don't call him out in front of the lab, you know Griss hates that."

"He wasn't there."

"Oh, that makes it so much better," Sara shot back.

"Are we okay?" Catherine asked, punching her shoulder.

"Yeah," Sara admitted.

"When do you want to go shopping for your wedding?" Catherine changed the subject.

Sara groaned. "Cath, I just got back."

"I know, I know, but you need something to cheer you up a little."

"Believe me, wedding shopping will just make me more stressed out."

"Come on Sara, it'll be fun," Catherine tried again.

"Cath, it's the week before Christmas, the stores will be a mad house right now."

"Not necessarily."

"But traffic will be even worse than usual. I'll tell you what," Sara reasoned, "whatever day you come up with after Christmas, I'll go, but it has to be after Christmas."

"Alright Sara, but you're not chickening out of this. Everything has to look perfect at your wedding."

"Cath, remember, I want it to be simple. I will kill you if you go overboard on me."

Catherine smiled. "Who me?" she said innocently.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm out of here, see you later," Catherine spoke.

They exchanged goodbyes and Catherine left the room. A few minutes later, Grissom poked his head into the room. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"I was just waiting on you," Sara got up from the couch.

They trailed out of the lab and headed home.

* * *

After arriving home, they went straight to bed. When Sara awoke, the clock read eleven AM, she had only been asleep for four hours. Sara carefully extricated herself from Grissom's grasp and walked out into the living room. She pulled a blanket from the hall closet, and wrapped herself up on the couch. She lay there pondering her thoughts when she heard the doorbell go off. She tried to look somewhat presentable in her pajamas, and Sara looked through the peephole. Sara saw a delivery man, and she opened the door. "Are you a Ms. Sidle?" the delivery man asked. 

"Yes."

"I have a delivery for you. If you would just sign this paper for me," the delivery man handed her a clipboard.

Sara signed the paper and watched as the delivery man returned with a long, thin, wide box. "Where would you like this?"

"Please set it down on the stair there, can I manage to get it into the house."

The delivery man set the box down, returned to his truck, and drove away. Sara carefully slid the box up a step and into the house. She lifted it up and placed in on the dining room table. _I wonder what this is?_

When Sara looked at the return address on the box, she dropped into a chair. She rested her head against the cold wood and took a few deep breaths. "Who was at the door?" Grissom asked, emerging from the bedroom.

Sara jumped and looked up at him. Grissom's hair was ruffled, and sleep plagued his face. "Delivery man," Sara replied, trying to wipe the frown off of her face.

"The packages couldn't have come already," Grissom reasoned.

"It's not those packages," Sara stated.

Grissom was puzzled. "What is it?" he asked, moving to wrap his arms around her from behind.

Sara's voice was almost a whisper. "My wedding dress."

"Can I see it?" Grissom joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sara tried to laugh, but tears streamed down her face instead. Grissom turned her around, wiped her tears away, and pulled her into a tight hug. "That's bad luck, don't you know that?" Sara tried to joke back.

Grissom kissed the top of her head. "Just a peek?" he nudged.

"No, you are not jinxing our wedding."

Grissom chuckled and started to lead her back to the bedroom. "Come on, I don't know what you were doing up already, but you are most definitely coming back to bed."

Sara complied and allowed Grissom to usher her back to the bedroom. They snuggled together, and Grissom waited until Sara fell asleep before he allowed himself to drift off.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

When Grissom woke up later that evening, he remembered that he had wanted to go into work early. Trying not to wake Sara up, Grissom rushed to get ready and wrote Sara a note.

_Honey, I went into work early to talk to a department rep. You looked so peaceful, and I thought you could use the extra sleep. I'll see you when you come into the lab.  
-Gil_

_

* * *

_After checking into the departmental office at the lab, one of the secretaries ushered him back to a departmental representative. "How can I help you Dr. Grissom?" the man asked.

"I would like to discuss a growing problem between the sheriff and the night shift CSIs."

"Yes, my secretary informed me of that," the man leaned back in his chair, "what exactly is the problem?"

"My mother passed away a week ago," Grissom started.

"I am truly sorry Dr. Grissom, but what does that have to do with the sheriff."

"Please, just call me Grissom."

The man nodded his head and picked up his nameplate. "I'm Darius O'Connell, but you can call me Darius. Now, about the sheriff?"

"When my mother passed away, it was pertinent that Ms. Sidle and I fly out to Marina Del Rey right away. In cases of family emergencies, the department allows leave."

"Yes it does Grissom. Ms. Sidle is your fiancee, correct?"

"Yes. We went to the sheriff and told him the situation, and he said that I could take leave."

"And Ms. Sidle?"

"He told her that she technically wasn't family yet, and she couldn't take leave. Then he threatened her job if she didn't report to work the next evening."

Darius nodded and appeared to be thinking about Grissom's statements. "There isn't a clear definition of who is family and who isn't. If someone needs to take leave because of a death or other emergency, they are granted it, end of story. Did he provide you with a reason for denying Ms. Sidle's request?"

"He said that during the holiday season the lab is extremely busy, and he couldn't afford having the nightshift short two CSIs."

"Is the lab extremely busy during the holiday season?"

"Yes, the crime rate does go up during the holidays, but four CSIs could have handled the increased workload."

"Grissom, my records indicate that the nightshift has only five CSIs total, minus you and Ms. Sidle, that would only leave the nightshift with three CSIs, correct?"

"Greg Sanders is currently a CSI trainee. He can help out with the lab work and scene processing, and although he cannot go to a scene alone, he is an extremely valuable asset in the field."

Darius nodded again. "Is any of this somehow related to the increased media coverage over the past week?"

"Yes. Ms. Sidle was trying to bring evidence from a crime scene back to the lab when she was bombarded by the media."

"Was this the night that the sheriff told her that she had to report to work?"

"Yes, the night after my mother passed away. I had left that morning to fly out to Marina Del Rey, and Sara was extremely upset to say the least. She was in no condition to be working a multiple homicide crime scene."

Darius once again started processing the information. "Sara, that's Ms. Sidle, right?"

Grissom wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained from the juvenile action. "Yes."

"Who directed Ms. Sidle to go to the scene?"

"Three night shift CSIs were at another scene where human remains were found. Ms. Sidle and Mr. Brown were called to the homicide scene thinking they were only going to have to process one victim. When they arrived, they were notified that there were five."

"They ended up having to call in day shift, didn't they?" Darius was trying to recall what he had seen on television.

"Yes. However, day shift can be consulted if extra help is needed. That is why people are on call."

"The other case was a multiple homicide as well?"

"Yes, the skeletal remains found had been buried by a family member because he had killed his children and needed a way to hide his crime."

"He is in police custody, correct?"

"Yes, as are the two men responsible for the other multiple homicide."

"Grissom, since you have returned to Las Vegas, have you been to speak to the sheriff?"

"Last night the sheriff cornered Ms. Sidle and brought her up to his office. He accused her of being unprofessional at a crime scene."

"Didn't she tell the media something about how her personal life didn't interfere with her job?"

"Yes, which is true. Ms. Sidle is nothing but objective."

Darius nodded. "Did Ms. Sidle take leave?"

"Yes. After that media disaster, Catherine Willows, supervisor at the time, directed her to pack her bags and get on the next plane to Marina Del Rey."

"Okay Grissom, I think I have a basic idea of what the problem is. Do you have anything else to add?"

"When the sheriff took Sara up to his office, he told her that the two men arrested for the multiple homicides were going to get off because of her behavior at the crime scene. This was a complete and deliberate lie to try and get a reaction out of Ms. Sidle."

"Were you there during their conversation?"

"No, Ms. Sidle told me about this afterward. I however, talked to the sheriff after Sara did."

"What did he say to you?"

"He suggested that Ms. Sidle and I have been unprofessional around the lab, which I assure you is a blatant lie."

"I am aware that you were already cleared by the department to continue with your relationship as long as it didn't affect your job performance. Mr. Grissom, I am going to have to get some more information before we can continue your case against the sheriff. You are going to have to submit a written statement of all of your information. I will need to talk to Ms. Sidle, the sheriff, and other members of your team to judge where everyone stands with this issue. If I find substantial information, we will be able to conduct an inquiry."

Grissom nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Ms. Sidle is reporting for work tonight, correct?"

"Yes, she'll be in when shift starts."

"Please send her up to speak with me. I will be able to take her statement, and then I will start taking statements from the rest of your team."

"Okay."

"Grissom, I don't need to remind you to try and keep this information from spreading around the lab. The sheriff does control your employment currently, and there could be negative side effects if this information were to get out."

"I will do my best, but you know how gossip spreads around here. Even if we don't leak anything out, the lab, and then the media will find out quick enough."

"I understand Grissom. I am merely suggesting that you advise your team not to make any statements to the media about this."

"Okay. I will let them know that you will be speaking to them, and remind them that they are not to speak to the media."

"Thank you Grissom. I would like you to submit a written statement regarding what you have told me as soon as possible."

"I will try to put it together during shift if we aren't too busy."

"Okay Grissom, I will be in touch with you soon enough."

Grissom shook the Darius' hand and left the office to return to his office. _Finally, one step in the right direction._

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

When Sara came into the lab that evening, she immediately tracked Grissom down. She entered his office with her hands on her hips. "Where were you this evening?" Sara asked.

"Here at the lab. I left you a note."

"Well, I did not find said note. Why did you come in so early?"

"I needed to go and talk to the department representative to discuss our problems with the sheriff. As soon as you put your things away in your locker, you will be going to speak to him also, his name is Darius O'Connell."

"About?"

"About your pleasant discussions with the sheriff."

Sara threw her arms up in the air. "Wonderful! Thank you for ruining my evening," she said, turning to walk out the door.

"Sara," Grissom called in a warning tone, "you know this is the right thing to do."

"Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Sara fled Grissom's office and walked to the locker room to put her coat away.

* * *

When Sara entered the departmental office, there were very few people inside, for most of the representatives worked during day shift. Sara walked up to one of the secretaries and did her best to seem pleasant. "My name is Sara Sidle, and I am here to see Darius O'Connell." 

"Ms. Sidle, I know who you are," the woman spoke, "head right on back, he's waiting for you in his office."

Sara walked through the mess of desks and entered Darius' office. "Ms. Sidle, please have a seat."

Sara complied and sat across the desk from Darius. "Mr. Grissom came to me earlier and spoke of problems that you have been having with the sheriff. It is my job to collect statements from you, the sheriff, and the rest of your coworkers. Then, if I deem necessary, a formal inquiry will be conducted."

Sara nodded and appeared to be processing the information that she had just received. "What do you need to know?" she asked.

"What is your relationship with Mr. Grissom?"

"He is my fiance. What does this have to do with the sheriff?"

"I just need to verify some of the facts. How did you receive news that Mr. Grissom's mother passed away?"

"Gil had off of work that night, and he got a phone call at home. As soon as he was notified, he called me, asking me to come home. Ms. Willows allowed me to leave, and I went home."

"Okay Ms. Sidle. What happened after that?"

"Not much really. Gil wanted to fly out to Marina Del Rey as soon as possible to start taking care of the funeral arrangements and such. We came back to the lab to talk to the sheriff and ask for a leave of absence."

"Did he grant you that leave of absence?"

"We wouldn't be talking if he did," Sara said sarcastically.

"Ms. Sidle, I just need to get the facts from you. I can't help you if I don't have the information."

Sara nodded. "Now, what happened when you asked for that leave?" Darius questioned.

"The sheriff told Gil that he could have leave, but he told me that I couldn't because I was on medical leave for an extended period of time, and I had taken Thanksgiving off."

"Is that true?"

"I was on medical leave because someone else in this department decided to kidnap me, tried to rape me, and then attempted to murder me!" Sara started to get angry.

"Ms. Sidle, I know this must be dredging up unpleasant memories, but please, don't start to get hostile."

Sara took a deep breath and regrouped. "Sorry, I just don't like talking about this."

"That's understandable. Now, did you take Thanksgiving off?"

"Yes, I did. I took the Wednesday and Thursday off, but those days were made up within the course of the week."

Darius nodded and appeared to be jotting things down. "Did the sheriff say anything else at that point?"

"He told me that if I didn't report to work the next shift, he would fire me."

"Did you eventually take leave?"

"Yes. After a media mishap, Ms. Willows, my interim supervisor, instructed me to take the next flight out to Marina Del Rey."

"Did you feel that you were up to processing that scene?"

"No, but I was forced to because my colleagues were at another multiple homicide scene."

"What did you tell the reporters?"

"I honestly don't remember. All I remember was trying to get them off of my back so I could bring the evidence back to the lab."

Darius nodded and made a few more notes. "The tape of you at the scene has been played over and over by the media Ms. Sidle, are you aware of that?"

"How could I not be? The sheriff was livid about that when Gil and I came back yesterday."

"What did happen when you came back?"

"I was waiting in the break room for assignments to be handed out when the sheriff came in. He told me that he needed to talk to me, and he demanded that I go up to his office."

"Did you comply?"

"Yes. When he got me up to his office he accused me of not acting professionally at a crime scene."

"What was he referring to?"

"The statement I gave to the reporter, and my departure soon after. I told him that I was just following the instructions of my supervisor when I left the scene."

"Okay, what else did he say?"

"He accused me of being a liability to the lab."

"A liability how?"

"He said that Gil and I hadn't been acting professionally around the lab."

"Is that true?"

"Hell no!" Sara barked.

"Calm down Ms. Sidle, I am not accusing you of anything. Did the sheriff say anything else while you were in his office?"

Sara let out a sharp breath. "He informed me that the two suspects arrested for the murders of the five people had been released from police custody because of my actions at the scene. As you probably already know, they are still locked up, and the sheriff was lying the entire time."

"Yes, I am aware of that Ms. Sidle."

"He also all but admitted he was trying to cover his ass so he could run for mayor."

"Ms. Sidle, I need you to write all of this down on paper. That way your statement will be official, and it will be prepared if an inquiry is needed."

"I need to get back to work."

"No, you need to write out your statement first, it is very important. Mr. Grissom knows that you will be here until you have completed your statement."

Sara nodded and allowed Darius to hand her some pieces of paper to start writing out all of the facts.

* * *

When Sara finished writing out her statement, she walked back down into the main part of the lab and found herself in front of Grissom's closed door. Overly frustrated from her dealings with Darius, she started knocking rather loudly on the door. "Grissom, open up!" Sara hollered. 

Greg heard the racket from the DNA lab and poked his head out of the door. "Sara, give it up, he went out to a scene," he called.

Sara gave the door a sharp kick and walked down the hallway to the locker room. She rested her head against the cold metal of her locker and tried to calm down. _Thanks Gil, you get me trapped inside of the lab for almost half a shift answering all of those damn questions. Meanwhile, you're off working at a scene so you don't have to write out yours. _Sara was pulled from her thoughts when she heard someone come through the locker room door. "Having trouble in paradise Sara?" Greg asked, cautiously walking toward her.

"If you've just come in her to mock me you can turn back around and go back to your lab," Sara snapped, still not moving her head from the locker.

Greg sat down next to Sara, but still didn't touch her. "Sara, I'm your friend, I'm not going anywhere. What's going on?"

"This guy from the departmental office is taking statements about what's been going on around here with the sheriff."

"Griss told all of us that the rep would be calling each of us to take statements. It's all kind of hush hush."

"I figured as much."

"What's going on with you though?"

"Everything is just getting all drudged up again. Something tells me this is going to get a hell of a lot worse when the sheriff finds out."

"Ummhmm," Greg mumbled, "what did you need Griss for?"

Sara finally lifted her head off of the locker and looked at Greg. "I wanted to yell at him for getting me stuck in that office for half of the shift."

"Sara, he's just trying to make things better around here. No one needs the sheriff interfering when there aren't any problems."

"I know Greg, I don't need to hear it again."

"Are you going to go out into the field?" Greg asked, trying to change the subject.

"Is there anything to do around here?"

"You can help me finish processing the evidence from the hit and run Griss and I had."

"Okay, I think I'll stay in the lab for the rest of shift."

Sara stood up to leave the locker room, but Greg pulled on her arm. "What Greg?" Sara said, exasperated.

Greg gave her a quick hug. "I'm here for you Sara, if you need to talk, I'm all yours."

Sara nodded, and they both headed to the DNA lab.

* * *

When Grissom returned to the lab at the end of the shift, he found Sara processing evidence with Greg in the DNA lab. "How did your conversation with Darius go?" Grissom asked Sara. 

Sara continued to look at the evidence under the microscope and replied. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Shifts over," he told the two of them.

"There's still evidence to process," Sara replied.

Grissom wasn't happy with Sara's demeanor. "Greg, start packing things away, this evidence can wait to be processed until next shift."

Greg nodded and started to clean up his workspace. Sara put away her things and walked past Grissom. "I'll meet you at home," she said coldly, continuing to walk away from Grissom.

Grissom turned to Greg in hopes of getting any information as to why Sara was angry. "You've got to talk to her Griss, I can't give you all of the answers," Greg stated before Grissom could ask any questions.

"What was that all about?" Grissom asked.

"She was up talking to that department rep for almost half of the shift. She was pretty angry when she couldn't find you when she was done. That's all of the information I have to give you."

"Thanks Greg," Grissom muttered before walking out the door.

_I wonder what I've done now?_

_

* * *

_


	17. Chapter 17

When Grissom let himself into the house, he heard the sounds of Sara throwing up. He threw his jacket on the back of a chair and went to investigate.

In the bathroom, Sara was sitting on the floor, one hand precariously holding her head over the toilet. Grissom sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed soothing circles into her back. Sara threw up a few more times and dry heaves took over. When she was done, Grissom got her a cup of water, and she washed out her mouth. Grissom helped her up from the floor and led her into the bedroom. Once she had gotten comfortable sitting up, Grissom slid in next to her and rested his hand on her lower back. "What's going on Sara?" he asked, his voice soft and comforting.

"I don't feel so good," Sara croaked, still clutching the top of her stomach.

Grissom reached over to the side table and picked up the note he had left that evening. "See, I did leave you a note," he spoke, dangling the note in front of her face.

Sara groaned. "Gil, I don't care about the damn note anymore."

"What happened with Darius?"

"Oh, he just asked a whole bunch of questions about the sheriff and what he said to me. It took half of the shift to answer his questions and write out a statement."

Sara rubbed her hand across the top of her stomach, trying to massage out the pain. "Are you okay?" Grissom asked, concerned.

"I don't know, my stomach just feels odd, it hurts."

"You're too stressed Sara," Grissom spoke, smoothing back some hair from her face.

"Well, I can't really do much about that right now. Everything that has happened is being drudged up, and I've got to answer a whole bunch of questions about things I don't want to talk about."

"I'm sorry Sara, I should have told you ahead of time that I was going to go in to talk to a department representative."

"You could have woken me up and told me you were leaving. I was worried when I couldn't find you in the house."

Grissom brought his arm back down around her and rubbed her side. "You looked so peaceful, and I thought you could use the extra sleep. Next time I'll wake you up."

"Okay," Sara nodded.

"What happened with the rest of shift?" Grissom asked, trying to get to the root of why Sara was so annoyed with him before.

"When I was done with Darius I was kind of angry that I had been cooped up in his office for so long. I went down to your office, and I was going to give you a piece of my mind, but you were out in the field. So, after I momentarily lost my cool, Greg told me that I could help him out in the lab. I really didn't feel like going out into the field."

"Were you feeling like this before?"

"The longer I was with the department rep, the more my insides stirred up. I guess I got a little antsy. I didn't really feel so hot with Greg either. Then when I blew you off and came home, I felt extremely nauseous as soon as I walked through the door."

"You need to stop worrying about things and relax," Grissom kissed her cheek.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry I lost it before. I just had a lot of feelings stirring up inside of me, and I felt like crap."

"You think next time you might try calling and yelling at me instead of getting yourself all worked up like this? It's not good for you Sara. We have enough stress at our jobs, you don't need more."

"You want to tell that to the sheriff for me?"

Grissom chuckled. "That's what we're working on right now honey, we just have to stick it out."

Sara nodded. "I'm worried about how the sheriff is going to react."

"Well, you know he isn't going to take it well, but you can't worry about what you can't change. His house of cards is finally going to fall apart."

A brief smile crossed Sara's face. "I know you're right, but all kinds of thoughts keep flowing through my mind. I just wish sometimes that they would stop."

"Well, why don't you try getting some sleep?"

"I don't want to attempt laying down yet. My stomach is still bothering me."

Grissom shifted on the bed and propped two pillows up behind him. "Well then, you are going to try to rest, just not laying down."

Grissom carefully pulled Sara over to lean on his chest and rested his hands on her stomach. Grissom reached one of his hands under her shirt and carefully stroked her stomach. "Thanks Gil, this means so much," Sara yawned.

"Well, someone has to keep you sane," Grissom joked.

Sara nudged his stomach and nestled into his embrace.

* * *

When Sara woke up the next evening, she still didn't feel very well, but she tried not to let it show. She hadn't eaten anything at home, and Grissom was worried about how she was really feeling. "Sara, do you want to stop and get something to eat before we got in?" Grissom asked when they were on their way to the lab. 

Sara grimaced even at the mention of food. "No Griss, we better just go in to the lab."

Even though she had tried to conceal the grimace, Grissom caught it out of the corner of his eye. "Sara, if you don't feel well enough..." Grissom started, but Sara cut him off.

"I'm alright Gil, I've just got to take it easy."

Grissom dropped the subject and continued the drive to work.

* * *

When Darius returned to work that evening, he immediately went to the sheriff's office. "Sheriff, I need to speak with you," Darius spoke, peeking his head through the door. 

"Come in Mr. O'Connell, what can I do for you?"

"I have to speak with you in an official capacity. Complaints have been brought up against you regarding your work ethic."

"By whom, Sidle and Grissom?"

"Sir, I am afraid I cannot divulge that information. I am here to take your statement regarding some events that have occurred in the past couple of weeks."

"Well, I won't be answering any questions without my lawyer present."

"Sheriff, there is no need for a lawyer. This is not an official investigation yet, I am just trying to gather information and decide whether or not an inquiry is needed."

"I will not be answering any questions without my lawyer. Since it is late and this is not an official investigation, we will not be speaking until tomorrow morning. Goodbye Mr. O'Connell," the sheriff said, practically pushing him out the door.

The sheriff closed his door and slammed his fist on his desk. _Dammit, they opened their big mouths, now I have to fix some of my problems in other ways._

_

* * *

_When Sara walked into the locker room, the sheriff was waiting for her. "What can I do for you sheriff?" she asked, at least attempting to be pleasant.

"I think you deserve an apology. This might take awhile, would you come up to my office?" the sheriff asked.

Sara didn't like the idea, but did not want to appear hostile. "Okay," she spoke, closing her locker door.

Sara followed the sheriff up to his office and sat in a chair across from him. "Ms. Sidle, I realize you have been under a lot of stress lately, and I can understand that your work performance may not have been up to par," the sheriff started.

"Excuse me?" Sara said, alarmed, "I thought you were going to apologize to me, not rationalize your behavior."

"I am merely stating that you probably didn't belong at the scene to begin with. I would have given you leave if I had known you were going to react that way."

"How did you think I would react?" Sara started defending herself, "Someone close to me had just died, and you put me through the extra stress of forcing me to stay here."

"Like I said Ms. Sidle, I do apologize."

"You're just trying to do this to clear your own conscience."

The sheriff disregarded that comment. "I think this matter can be dealt with internally," the sheriff stated, "there is no need to drag down the whole lab with this petty matter."

"So it is okay to try and drag down the lab with all of the crap that you keep pulling? You just want to be able to run for mayor, and you probably won't be able to if word gets out to the press. You can't use bribery to try and hush me up. I believe this conversation is over."

The sheriff was absolutely livid. As Sara turned to walk out the door, the sheriff grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back. Sara felt something in her wrist snap, and she cried out in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I do that?" he smirked.

Sara panicked when she felt the sheriff's hold tighten on her wrist. "I suggest you tell the department rep that you were an emotional wreck and delusional when you talked to me. If this matter doesn't get dropped, things could get a lot worse for you."

"No, things are going to get worse for you sheriff. You see, the second you laid a hand on me, you just sealed your sentence. You're not going to get away with this. Now get the hell off of me!" Sara yelled, jerking her arm away from him.

Sara felt another fiery pain race up her arm when she pulled away, but she managed to get free of the sheriff's grasp. She reopened the door and charged down the hallway.

After Sara escaped, the sheriff picked up his phone and punched in a number. "Gil, Sara is headed your way. She seems to have injured her wrist slamming my door, I thought you should know."

A chill ran down Grissom's spine, and he could feel his rising pulse in his ears. "What did you do to her?" Grissom practically roared.

"She was the one who got angry, and she managed to catch her arm in the door when she tried slamming it. As her supervisor, I thought you should know. I need to get back to work Gil," the sheriff hung up the phone.

Grissom chucked his cell phone at the wall and felt his face flush with anger. Grissom was just about to search for Sara when he heard Nick's shout from the hallway. "Griss, you better come quick," Nick yelled.

Grissom hurried out into the hallway and found Nick with his arm around Sara. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, and her right arm was cradled into her stomach. Grissom quickly moved to her side and replaced Nick. "Sara, what happened?"

"The sheriff twisted my arm behind my back, I think he snapped my wrist."

"Nick, call Brass, get him to take the sheriff into custody. Make sure he doesn't leave the building before Brass gets here."

Nick nodded and pulled out his cell phone to call Brass. Grissom helped Sara down the hallway and out into the car. Sara leaned over in her seat and continued to cradle her arm to her stomach. Grissom ran his hand across her back as he started the drive to the hospital. "He's going to pay Sara, don't worry, he's going to pay," Grissom said with determination, more for his own assurance than hers.

_I couldn't protect her, what the hell was he doing? Why was she up in his office? What really happened up there?_

"Gil, pull over," Sara moaned, breaking Grissom out of his reverie.

"What?" Grissom was alarmed.

"I'm going to be sick, pull over," she demanded.

Grissom pulled over and Sara flew out of the car. She doubled over on the side of the road as her stomach started heaving again. Grissom raced to her side and tried to hold her up without causing her any more pain. When Sara started to try to stand upright again, Grissom immediately helped her back into the car and speeded toward the hospital. "Gil, slow down, I'm not going to die from this, I don't need you to kill me in a car wreck," Sara groaned.

Grissom listened to her and dropped the speedometer a few tics. Within a few minutes, he was helping Sara into the emergency room.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

Since Sara's injury wasn't a life or death emergency, she was forced to sit in the waiting room. Grissom kept an arm around her and tried to comfort her while they waited. "Sara, did the sheriff touch anything on your person?" Grissom asked.

Sara looked up and raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

Grissom was in full investigator mode. "Did the sheriff touch anything on you? He's going to try and deny this all of the way. Is there any evidence that he touched you at all?"

Sara looked down at her wrist where her watch was still wrapped around it. Grissom caught her gaze and immediately knew they had some chance of proving that the sheriff grabbed her. Sara realized that Grissom was staring at her. "Gil, you are not pulling this off of my wrist, that would hurt like hell," she stated.

Grissom seemed to be pondering what to do. He knew Sara was in pain, but it would be a little while longer before a doctor would see her. "I'm going to run out to the car and grab my kit. Don't touch that watch."

Sara shook her head. "I wasn't planning on it."

Sara groaned as Grissom walked out of the emergency room. _I know Grissom wants to put him away, just like I do, but he sure has wonderful timing._

* * *

When Grissom returned, he put his kit on the chair and opened it up. After pulling on gloves, Grissom took out a pair of forceps. "Is there any way you can move your arm so I can get at the buckle of your watch?" 

Sara carefully rotated her shoulder outward to reveal the buckle and band of her watch. Grissom looked up at her with concern. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."

Sara nodded and Grissom started to use the forceps to unhook the buckle. After a minute he looked up at Sara in frustration. "The swelling from your wrist has made it too tight, I can't get it off without pinching it against your skin."

Grissom went back to his kit and pulled out a pair of scissors. He carefully slid the blade between her wrist and the watch band. Grissom managed to cut the watch band and get a hold of it with his forceps. He placed the watch inside of an evidence bag and sealed it. Grissom put the bag in the top of his kit and closed it up. "I'm going to call Warrick and see if he can come get that," he spoke, gesturing to his kit.

Grissom reached toward his belt for his phone and frowned when he realized he did not have it. "Can I use your cell phone?" he asked Sara.

"Where's yours?" she asked.

"Currently in pieces on the floor of my office."

Sara raised an eyebrow but did not comment. "If you want it, you've got to grab it off of my belt, I can't reach it."

Grissom walked over to the other side of her chair and retrieved Sara's cell phone from her belt. He punched in Warrick's cell phone number and waited for him to pick up. "Brown," Warrick answered.

"Did Brass pick up the sheriff?"

"Brass has him confined to his office. He didn't want to do anything hasty where the sheriff was concerned. Since Sara's and the sheriff's stories don't match, Brass didn't want to start anything unnessesarily."

"The sheriff definitely grabbed her Warrick, and her wrist is most likely broken. I need you to come down here and pick up a piece of evidence for me."

"You have evidence?"

"Her watch, off of the wrist he grabbed. His prints should be all over it."

"Alright Griss, I'll be right there."

* * *

While they were still waiting, Sara's cell phone rang. "Grissom," he spoke. 

"Nice to talk to you Sara," Brass joked.

"Jim, get on with it."

"I can't take the sheriff into custody until you guys have any evidence. We don't need a fiasco going on down here."

"Jim, he assaulted her," Grissom said, somewhat exasperated.

"I'm not doubting that, but unless you have evidence, I can't move."

"Warrick's coming to pick up Sara's watch, it might have fingerprints on it. That's what I'm hoping on anyway."

"Alright Gil, I'll get back to watching our friendly sheriff. I'll let you know if we get anything new."

"Okay Jim, thanks."

Grissom closed the cell phone and looked back at Sara. "The watch will have something Sara, we just have to wait until it gets processed."

Sara nodded and returned to waiting to be seen by a doctor.

* * *

Soon after Warrick took the evidence back to the lab, Sara was finally called back to be seen by a doctor. After x-rays, the doctors determined that her wrist was indeed dislocated, not broken. The doctors put her wrist into a brace and released her from the hospital. Grissom brought her back to the house and brought her into the bedroom to relax. Sara quickly fell asleep. 

Grissom went out into the living room and tried to clear his head. The past few hours had been nerve-racking, everything had happened so fast. Before he could slip into a deep thought process, the phone rang. "Grissom," he picked up.

"Sorry for calling your house Griss, but your cell is in pieces here at the lab. I've got some bad news for you."

"Did you get the watch processed?"

"Yes, and I got two sets of prints off of it. One set is Sara's, and the other is currently unknown. They don't match anything in any of the databases."

"What!" Grissom exclaimed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Get Brass to get a warrant and go take the sheriff's fingerprints. This doesn't make any sense."

"Okay Boss," Warrick said and hung up the phone.

After putting the phone back in its cradle, Grissom put his head in his hands and thought about the new information. _How can someone else's prints be on her watch?_

_

* * *

_

"Sheriff, I need to take your fingerprints," Warrick stated, walking into the sheriff's office.

"My prints are in the police database."

"We need another reference."

"Well, you're not taking them without a warrant."

Warrick pulled the warrant out of his back pocket and set it on the sheriff's desk. "Your hands please," Warrick stated, somewhat annoyed.

After Warrick had taken the fingerprints, he left Brass alone with the sheriff, going back to the lab to process the prints.

* * *

Although the sheriff had been uncooperative, Warrick obtained his prints and returned to the lab. After processing the fingerprints, Warrick called Grissom again. "Griss, we've got another problem," Warrick spoke when Grissom answered. 

"What's that?" Grissom asked.

"The prints we took from the sheriff match the prints on Sara's watch, but they do not match the prints in the police database. So, either the sheriff provided the wrong prints in the first place or..."

"That isn't the sheriff," Grissom realized.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

"Gil, what's going on?" Sara asked, emerging from the bedroom.

Sara had heard the phone ring a couple of times and felt she should at least know what the racket was all about. When Grissom lifted his head up, he had a weary look on his face. "Sit down Sara," Grissom gestured to an empty space on the couch next to him.

Sara stayed when she was. "Gil, just tell me. What is it?"

"Please sit," Grissom said, tugging at her waist so she would sit next to him.

Sara was starting to get antsy. "Who was on the phone Gil?"

"Warrick."

"Did he get prints off of my watch?"

"Yes."

"But?" Sara waited for the other shoe to drop.

"They match the guy who's sitting in the sheriff's office."

A puzzled look crossed Sara's face. "The sheriff," Sara inferred, "that's good isn't it?"

"We have reason to believe that the guy sitting in the sheriff's office isn't the sheriff."

"That's nonsense," Sara stated, "are you kidding me?"

Grissom rested a hand on her arm. "Sara, the prints from your watch match the prints from the guy in the sheriff's office, but they don't match the prints on record for the sheriff."

"You have got to be kidding me," Sara said, exasperated, "could this situation get any worse?"

"Sara, I can't quite understand it either. Why try to impersonate the sheriff?"

Sara stared at Grissom like there were obvious reasons why someone would try to impersonate an officer of the law. "How did we not realize this?"

"There were lots of other things going on, the sheriff just seemed to be acting on political motivations."

"But why would he ever go to such trouble to try and purposefully ruin our careers and our lives? We should have noticed this before! The real sheriff was politically minded, but what he did doesn't make any sense for his career. He had to have known that assaulting a CSI was career suicide, the real sheriff would never sacrifice his standing in the department!"

Although Sara was starting to get angry, Grissom still appeared to be calm and collected on the outside. "Sara, I'm not denying that we should have noticed this earlier, I'm just saying that there were other factors that may have influenced us with this."

"We let our emotions run our thought processes, and now we're getting a swift kick in the ass!" Sara growled.

"Sara, we can yell about this all day long, and it still won't change a thing. I need to go back into the lab and try to get a handle on what is going on."

"Don't think you're leaving me here, I want in on this too."

"Sara," Grissom warned.

"I know, you're going to say I just came back from the hospital, and I've got a messed up wrist, and I can't touch any of the evidence. That doesn't mean I can't watch from behind a mirror and do searches on the computer," Sara reasoned.

Sara got up from the couch and disappeared into the bedroom. Grissom sighed and ran his hand through his beard, contemplating what was actually going on with the situation. Sara returned to the living room a few minutes later, fresh clothes on and ready to go. Grissom shook his head, and they both left for the lab.

* * *

When Sara entered the lab, she rounded everyone into the break room. "What do we have so far on all of this?" Grissom asked the team. 

"You already know about how the prints match, but don't," Warrick stated, "we've got a warrant coming for a DNA sample to check that out."

Grissom nodded. "I called his wife to get her to come in and talk to us. If anyone noticed any changes, it had to have been her," Catherine spoke.

"Is that all we have right now?" Grissom questioned.

"Yeah, but Brass has got him in an interrogation room now," Nick added, "he's denying everything all the way, and he's not saying much."

Grissom seemed to be processing the information. "Warrick, Nick, go search his office, see if you can find anything suspicious in there."

The two of them nodded and headed out of the break room. "Greg, as soon as the warrant comes through, I want you processing that DNA sample. Catherine, wait for the sheriff's wife to get in here and take Sara with you to talk to her."

"Where are you going?" Catherine asked.

"To go sit in with Brass," Grissom stated, exiting the break room.

* * *

"Now I'm going to ask you again," Brass started once Grissom entered the room, "who are you?" 

"You're a broken record Detective Brass. I'm not going to tell you again, my name is Rory Atwater."

"Right, and how would you like to explain how your prints are different than the sheriff's prints in the computer?"

"I am the sheriff!" he yelled.

"You know, impersonation of a law enforcement official is quite a crime, as is assault of a CSI, and whatever other laws you've broken in the process of this charade."

The man went silent, staring off into space once again. "With evidence," Grissom stated, "we are going to find out who you are, and what is really going on here. It might be in your best interest to speak up."

The man still didn't speak, and Grissom, not having the patience to wait for the man to talk, headed back to the lab to start searching for any leads.

* * *

When Ms. Atwater arrived at the station around seven in the morning, they led her into an interrogation room so they could talk quietly without being interrupted. 

"Ms. Atwater, we'd like to ask a few questions about your husband," Catherine stated.

"Sure, why not?" Ms. Atwater spoke, "Please call me Lori."

"Okay, Lori," Catherine paused, "did you notice anything different about your husband lately?"

"Rory and I are separated, I can't say that I've talked to him in a while."

Sara's eyes widened with the information. "When did you separate?" Catherine asked.

"About six months ago. Rory started to change, and he just wasn't the man I married anymore."

The same thoughts crossed through both Catherine and Sara's minds. _This has been going on for six months? _Catherine figured that they shouldn't jump to any conclusions. "Lori, can you tell us some of the specific things that started happening before the two of you separated?"

Ms. Atwater appeared puzzled by Catherine's question. "Ms. Willows, is this really necessary?"

"I assure you Lori, any information you can provide regarding your husband's behavior can be an enormous help to us."

Ms. Atwater sighed and a distant look appeared on her face. "Shortly after our anniversary, Rory started acting weird. At first I thought it might have been from the stress of his job, but then he totally changed. He would argue with me on just about every decision, and he started to become verbally abusive. He started to have people at the house all of the time, and I didn't like the way he acted with them. They'd always go into the basement and discuss things through all hours of the night. One day when I asked what they had been doing down there, he pinned me up against the wall and said it was none of my business. I packed my bags and left within an hour. I don't know what was happening to Rory, but what he was turning into sure wasn't the man I married."

"Lori, had he ever abused you before?" Catherine asked.

"Heavens no!" Lori exclaimed, "I am not a victim. I got myself out of there as soon as he laid an arm on me."

"Why not press charges?"

"He left me alone, and I didn't think it was necessary if I was away from him. I just wanted to move on and start anew."

"Why not get a divorce? That would give you the ultimate closure."

"Deep inside I hoped that Rory would pull himself back together. I loved him so much, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why he was acting so out of character."

"Did your husband try to coax you back to the house?" Catherine asked, trying to set some things straight in her mind.

"That was the odd thing," Ms. Atwater started, "after I hadn't heard from him in a few days, I called him to see if he was okay. I must have called him ten times in two days, but he never called me back. I haven't spoken to him since I left."

Catherine made eye contact with Sara, both of them in disbelief about the information they had just received. "Lori, do you think you can stay here at the lab for a little while in case we have any more questions?"

"Sure, anything to help. What is this about anyway?"

"We think someone has been impersonating your husband," Sara spoke, exiting the interrogation room.

After reassuring Ms. Atwater that they would be back to talk to her soon, Catherine exited the interrogation room and followed Sara back into the lab.

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

Grissom was sitting in his office when Catherine and Sara poked their heads in. "We've got a serious problem," Catherine stated.

"Yeah, I know, that isn't the sheriff down in the interrogation room," Grissom retorted.

"We had a little chat with his wife. Apparently, she and the sheriff got separated about six months ago."

"That doesn't really tell us much by itself."

"How about the fact that she said he didn't seem like the man she married anymore. The day she left him, he pinned her to the wall. She says he had never even shown signs of being abusive before."

Grissom's eyebrows rose toward his hairline. "Six months?" he said to no one in particular, "this is one hell of a mess."

"There's more," Sara spoke.

Grissom glanced over toward her. "Ms. Atwater said that her husband kept having people over to the house. Apparently they were in the basement all hours of the night doing God knows what."

"Well, that might not be that suspicious."

"Ms. Atwater said that he hadn't been like that before either."

"We need to get over to that house to try and start sorting things out. Cath, get a warrant for the sheriff's house and see if the guys are done processing the sheriff's office. If they're done, take them and Greg and start processing the sheriff's house."

"Where are you going?" Catherine questioned.

"That guy and I are going to have a little chat," he spoke, getting up from behind his desk.

"What should I do?" Sara asked.

"Go get on the computer and see if any of the data in the sheriff's file has been changed. Just check and see if everything matches up, and if any of the departmental files have been tampered with. If you don't find anything there, start with any account activity in the sheriff's name. There has to be some trace of something."

They left Grissom's office and went their separate ways.

* * *

Grissom walked back into the interrogation room where Brass was still sitting with the man. "Jim, maybe you should start informing this man of the dangers of not providing us with some information," Grissom suggested. 

"Your spiel isn't going to work on me," the man's voice changed.

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "So, you really do have a voice! And it definitely doesn't sound like the sheriff! Cut the crappy accent and start answering some questions."

"Crappy Mr. Grissom? I sure had a lot of you guys fooled for a long time."

"Oh, and how long was that?" Grissom countered.

"A while, that's all that matters."

"How about a name?" Brass interjected.

"You know I'm not the sheriff, what does it matter?"

Brass and Grissom gave him cold stares. "Evi," the man spoke, and Brass started writing on a paper, "Dence."

Brass threw the paper down and glared at the man. "Okay smart ass, I'm getting tired of this crap. If you don't start giving us some information, you're going to be going down for this whole thing, and I know that there is no possible way that you did all of this by yourself."

"If I tell you what I know, then I need protection."

"Yes, you'll be receiving the protection of a cell. Start giving me information, and we'll see what we can do."

The man nodded. "First of all, my name is Robert Lancaster."

"Okay Robert, why are you impersonating the sheriff?"

"This wasn't my idea. Everything got blown so out of proportion."

"Robert, start at the beginning."

"I was approached a while ago about impersonating the sheriff. The sheriff had quite the campaign running for mayor, and the mayor's people didn't like that very much. They wanted to replace the sheriff with me so I could ruin his chance for becoming mayor."

Jim nodded. "Who approached you?"

"I couldn't tell you. He was in disguise, and everything after that time I just spoke to a voice. I had some plastic surgery done, and I had to practice the sheriff's voice. It wasn't too hard to get a sample because he was in the media all of the time."

"Was?" Grissom started in.

"I didn't have anything to do with it, but the sheriff is dead. That wasn't supposed to happen, something went wrong. That's all I know."

Grissom rubbed his temple, feeling a migraine start to come on full force. "How long has this been going on?"

"Six, seven months maybe. I had to prepare and everything before that, but I took the sheriff's place about six or seven months ago."

"How was the switch supposed to take place?" Brass asked.

"All I had to do was show up to work that night. They were supposed to take care of all of the rest."

"Why you?"

"I used to be involved with the drug trade and things like that. I was getting kind of down on my luck, and I was looking for a gig to pick up some quick cash. I went to seek out work, and they found me."

"So you decided to impersonate an officer for six months?" Brass exclaimed.

"Five-hundred grand a week, I was more than willing to do it."

"What was your specific instruction?"

"I was to integrate myself into the police community, and make sure some key things happened here so lab performance would go down, and that the sheriff's career would go down with it."

"Do you naturally have a short temper, or was all of this just a game for you?" Grissom asked, referring to some of the pain he had caused.

Robert tried to defend himself. "It got to the point where if I didn't do what they said, they would have killed me like they killed him."

"The sheriff?" Brass asked.

"No."

"Who?" Grissom questioned.

* * *

After Catherine obtained a warrant and a dozen police officers, Catherine, Nick, Warrick, and Greg went to the sheriff's house. While the officers cleared the scene, the CSIs waited outside. "You CSIs better get down here," one of the officers called. 

"Where?" Catherine yelled back.

"Basement. It's clear, but we've got two dbs."

"Warrick, come with me, Nick, Greg, start processing upstairs. Call David and get him down here."

If Nick and Greg were disappointed, they didn't show it. Warrick followed close behind Catherine until they got into the basement. It was extremely hot and humid in the basement, and the stench of death filled the air. "Ugh, it reeks in here," Warrick stated.

"Yeah, whoever it is must have been dead for a while," Catherine replied.

Catherine panned the flashlight around and it fell on one of the bodies. She walked closer and shined the light in the corpse's face. "Well, I found the sheriff," Catherine stated.

Warrick looked over her shoulder to confirm the fact for himself. "Where's the other db?" he stated.

Catherine swung her flashlight around until it captured a body leaning against the back wall. They walked closer and shot each other looks when they realized who it was.

* * *


	21. Chapter 21

When Robert didn't reply right away, Grissom asked his question once again. "Who did they kill?"

"Ecklie."

Grissom's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Gil, let's talk outside," Brass gestured, pointing toward the door.

They both walked outside, and Grissom's mind was still reeling when Brass started talking. "I think someone threw us in the loony bin."

Grissom rubbed his hand across his forehead and leaned against the wall. "What the hell is going on in this department? Someone was posing as Ecklie too? How did we not pick this up before? His DNA would have been analyzed before the body was released for burial."

Brass was about to answer when his cell phone rang. "Brass," he answered.

"Jim, can you put Gil on?" Catherine asked.

Brass handed the phone over. "Grissom," he spoke.

"Gil, we found two dbs down here."

"Our missing sheriff?"

"Yeah, and Ecklie."

Grissom sighed. "The guy we have here is Robert Lancaster. He says he was approached on the street to pose as the sheriff, and he never met his employers in person after that. The whole thing was apparently set up to try and make sure that the sheriff wouldn't become the mayor. He confirms that he went into the lab about six or seven months ago, and he just told us that he didn't want to end up dead like Ecklie did."

Catherine sighed. "What do you want me to do Gil? This is a mess."

"Process the whole scene and keep it away from the media. We're going to try to get some more information out of our new friend Robert," Grissom groaned.

"Warrick and I have the basement, I've got Nick and Greg upstairs. This is going to take a while."

"Well, the whole scheme took a while to put together. It's like an onion, it's going to take a while to peel back the layers and take it apart."

"Gil, how did they get away with this?"

"They're not getting away, there's no way in hell I'm allowing that."

"Okay," Catherine said, ending the call.

Grissom closed the phone and handed it back to Brass. "We've got a whole lot more questions to ask," Grissom stated.

They walked back into the interrogation room and sat across from Robert, their current fountain of information.

* * *

Sara sat in the empty DNA lab, looking on the computer for any recent transactions in the sheriff's name. When she didn't find anything, she started looking through his phone records and tried pinpointing where the calls were made from. Sara was extremely tired, and the persistent pain returned to her stomach. When Sara began to feel sick once again, she made it to the sink just in time to expel all of the liquids she had consumed. Closing the few windows open on the computer, Sara walked down to the break room to sit for a few minutes. 

Sara pulled her cell phone from her belt and decided to try and get an update from Catherine. "Willows," Catherine picked up.

"Cath, did you guys find anything?" Sara questioned.

"Yeah, we've got two dbs in the basement. Warrick and I are processing right now."

"Was it the sheriff?"

"Yeah, if we can trust our looks for now. We can find out for sure later when David gets him back to the lab."

"Who else?"

"Sara, this is kind of alarming," Catherine tried to warn her.

"Cath, I've delt with enough, just give it to me," Sara said, devoid of emotion.

"It's Ecklie."

"Hell has frozen over," Sara deadpanned.

"Sara, I know this is difficult to process right now, we're all trying to figure out how this has been going on for so long."

Sara tried to suppress a moan when she felt a pain shoot across her stomach again. "Cath, everything is just crazy."

"Sara, are you okay? You sound kind of funny."

"I'm fine, just tired," Sara averted the question, "Cath, I should let you keep processing, bye."

Sara closed her cell phone before Catherine could reply or ask any more questions. After Sara had a few minutes to recuperate, she realized that she hadn't returned to talk to Ms. Atwater. After stopping in Grissom's office to pick up and reassemble his broken phone, she grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to the interrogation room.

* * *

"Looks like he pretty much moved himself in," Greg spoke, looking around the sheriff's bedroom. 

"This whole case is just messed up."

"It's twisted," Greg stated.

"I can't believe no one noticed this."

"Well, I know I didn't have too many dealings with the sheriff."

"Me neither, but I'm surprised that Grissom didn't notice."

"I think it bugs him," Nick noted.

"Who do you think they found downstairs?" Greg asked, his curiosity intriguing him.

"My bet, the sheriff," Nick stated.

"Yeah, I figured that. How about the other one?"

"I have no idea Greg, let's just wait until someone tells us."

As if on cue, Nick's cell phone rang on his belt. "Stokes," he picked up.

"Nick, it's an absolute mess down here," Catherine stated.

"What did you find?"

"We've got Atwater down here, and our good old pal Ecklie."

"Ecklie!" Nick raised his voice, "he has a double too?"

"Nick, I don't know what to tell you anymore. Nothing is what it seems, and apparently this whole department has been messed up."

"Anything else down there?"

"We don't know yet. It's really stuffy and hot down here, and the stench is unreal. David's working on loading the bodies up, and we're just trying to see if there's any evidence we can catch in the process."

"Greg and I are processing the bedroom right now. We've got three sets of prints, basically proves that the sheriff, his wife, and our imposter have been through here. Whenever we finally get back to the lab, we can run the prints to make sure."

"Yeah. I called Gil, he said that they got the guy to confess to posing as the sheriff. His name is Robert Lancaster, and this whole thing is affiliated with the mayoral race."

"Wonderful. If you need help down there, just ring me and I'll send Greg."

"Okay."

Nick closed his cell phone and returned to processing the bedroom.

* * *

"Robert, how was Ecklie involved in this?" Brass asked. 

"He wasn't supposed to be. At first, I was the only one in the lab and everything was going fine."

"Then what happened?"

"Ecklie had been promoted just before I took the sheriff's place. He kept coming to me and asking me a lot of questions, and he started to get suspicious. I apparently wasn't giving the right answers. My employer thought that Ecklie was a security threat to the ultimate plan. The next day I came in, he had been replaced."

"How did you know?"

"He came to talk to me, and my employer told me."

"Were you aware that he was raping and killing all of those women?" Grissom asked, barely containing his anger.

"I had no idea, neither did my employer. When he ended up getting himself caught and killed, my employer was livid. He said if I ever tried anything so stupid, he'd dispose of me in an instant. They had to go to a lot of trouble to cover that up."

"Like what?" Brass asked.

"You guys check their DNA and stuff before they can be buried. They had to switch the DNA sample out so you wouldn't find out."

Grissom's eyes widened at the prospect that someone had compromised his lab. "Who went in the lab?" Grissom asked.

"I did. I received a sample with my payment, and I was to switch them out."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I went to talk to Sanders and I switched the samples. I'm a con artist, I know many ways of doing what I want."

"Oh, that is just wonderful," Grissom started to lose his cool, "now you can add that to your list of charges."

Brass tried to get the conversation back under control. "Robert, you told us that you didn't have anything to do with either killing. However, the police found both bodies in the basement of the sheriff's house where you just happened to be staying. Would you care to explain?" Brass asked.

"I haven't been down there in a while. In the beginning, my employer sent some men to help me prepare for becoming the sheriff."

"Is that when Ms. Atwater left?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, that was pretty much the idea. Like I said, the whole thing was supposed to be peaceful to begin with. They wanted to get Ms. Atwater out of the house so she wouldn't keep asking questions."

"So you pinned her against the wall and scared her out of the house?" Grissom said with disgust.

"I had to, they would have killed me if I didn't abide by their decisions."

"Sure," Brass stated, "you're the innocent one in this."

"Keep in mind Detective Brass, that I am the one who is cooperating here. One little flick of a switch, and my mouth turns off."

"Did you notice any smell in the house?" Grissom asked.

"A slightly musty smell. I went around the house trying to figure out what it was."

"Well Robert, I'll be happy to inform you that it was two decaying bodies in the basement."

* * *

Sara sat across from Ms. Atwater and set her bottle of water down on the table. "Sorry this has taken so long Lori," Sara stated, "we've had a lot of developments come up in the case." 

Ms. Atwater looked slightly distraught. "Did you find him?"

"We believe we did, but we will not be sure until fingerprinting and DNA testing is completed."

"How long is that going to take?"

"Up to two weeks."

"I can't believe I left an imposter in my house," Ms. Atwater's voice cracked.

"In all fairness Lori, none of us realized that someone had replaced your husband."

"I realized that something was different. And what did I do? I left him. Some 'til death to us part," Ms. Atwater's words stung, "he's dead isn't he?"

Sara didn't think the woman would appreciate a softened blow. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"Get the man that is behind this. I won't be able to sleep at night until I know that all of this is sorted out."

Sara nodded. "We'll do what we can Lori."

Ms. Atwater nodded. "Can I go home now?" she asked.

"Yes, we'll give you a call if we have any more questions."

Ms. Atwater left the room and was escorted by an officer out the front doors of the building. Sara was left alone, still sitting in the interrogation room. When her stomach started to protest again, she started to slowly sip some of her water. Sara pulled her cell phone off of her belt. _I've got to do something about this._

"Hello," the receptionist picked up.

"Hello, this is Sara Sidle. I'm wondering if it is possible to squeeze in an appointment tomorrow morning."

"Ms. Sidle, what seems to be the problem?"

"I've been quite nauseous lately, and I've had this aching pain in my stomach."

"Okay, I'll have that marked on your chart. If you come in tomorrow morning at 8:45, she should be able to squeeze you in before her other patients."

"Thank you."

Sara closed her phone and attached it back to her belt. _Now to figure out what is going on with this case._

_

* * *

_Sara poked her head into the other interrogation room while Grissom and Brass were talking to the man. "Gil, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sara asked.

Grissom got up from the table and joined her outside of the door. "What's going on?" he asked.

"That's what I came to ask you. I figured I should get up to date on the case. I also reassembled your cell phone."

Grissom took the cell phone from her and clipped it to his belt. "Thanks Sara," he spoke, thinking back to the case, "Well, we've found out that Ecklie had a double too, and that all of this is part of some political crap. Someone with the mayor's campaign tracked down Robert Lancaster in there to impersonate the sheriff. The idea was to have him stir up some trouble here at the lab so the sheriff wouldn't have a chance at a run for mayor. He switched out the DNA sample from the guy we thought was Ecklie right under Greg's nose."

Sara groaned. "This is absolute insanity, I can't believe Greg didn't notice."

"Well, Greg didn't expect the sheriff to be messing with the evidence," Grissom said, trying to maintain his cool, "Did you find anything?"

"No, nothing was obviously odd about any transactions. I went through the phone log, and there were a whole lot of calls from one number. However, the number was unlisted, and I can't trace it."

"Everyone else is still out at the sheriff's house. They're going to be there for a while."

Grissom watched as Sara stifled a yawn. "How does your wrist feel?" he asked, taking her hand.

With all of the nausea and pain in her stomach, Sara had managed to block out any pain that may have emanated from her wrist. "It's okay," Sara gave him a half smile.

"Why don't you go down into my office and try to catch a little bit of sleep. When the team comes back from the scene there will be a lot of evidence to process, and it would help if you were more alert."

"Okay," Sara said, deciding that catching a little bit of sleep wouldn't be that bad, "come get me if you need me."

Grissom nodded and allowed her to start walking back to the lab. As she trailed away, Grissom couldn't stop thoughts from swimming through his mind. _Something is bothering her, and I don't think it's just the present situation._

_

* * *

_"I swear," Robert stated, "I didn't kill them."

"Well, could you give us any leads as to who did?" Brass asked.

"I told you this already, I never saw my employer."

"How about the men that kept coming to the house?"

"I was always to be in the basement when they came in, and all of the lights were turned out. Once they were downstairs they covered their faces. If anyone saw them, it would have been Ms. Atwater."

"How about their voices?"

"They changed them, I assure you, and all they ever said was yes or no. I would sit in the basement practicing Atwater's voice, and they would critique my progress."

"Were they playing his voice? How did they know his voice so well?"

"No, they didn't have a tape or anything. I assume they knew the sheriff or something."

"How did you get paid?"

"Dead drop."

"Where'd you put the money?"

"In my account."

"All of that money didn't raise any suspicion?"

"This is Vegas, Detective Brass."

"Did it come in envelopes or something?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah."

"Where are those envelopes?"

"At the sheriff's house."

Grissom walked out the door of the interrogation room and pulled his cell phone off of his belt. As he was about to speed dial Nick, his beeper sounded. _'2 dbs - morgue.'_

Grissom put the page off for a minute and called Nick. "Stokes," he answered.

"Nick, I need you to look for some envelopes. The suspect says he received all payments in envelopes, they could have some important prints on them."

"Okay, we haven't found any envelopes yet, but we'll keep looking."

"What have you found?"

"Evidence of three people in the house. Not much else yet."

"Okay. Dr. Robbins just paged me to say they got the bodies into the morgue. I need to know if you guys find anything substantial."

"Okay, will do Griss."

Grissom closed his cell phone and found his way to the morgue.

* * *

"I thought you'd want to take their prints right away," Dr. Robbins spoke when Grissom entered. 

"Yes, I would like to. We need to find some sort of starting point in this mess."

"Well, I'll have to do further analysis, but COD appears to be a shot through the heart in both of them."

"Bullet recovery?"

"Nope, through and through."

Grissom worked slowly and soon had two ten cards of fingerprints. "I'll need those clothes as soon as you're done with them."

"Sure enough. David will be in in a minute, and then we'll get started."

Grissom exited the morgue and headed to the lab to process the fingerprints.

* * *

"Warrick, there's not nearly enough blood here for those bullet wounds," Catherine stated, conducting a search of the basement. 

"Yeah, they definitely were dropped here," Warrick said, continuing to look on the other side of the basement.

Warrick picked up a pamphlet with his gloved hands. "Cath, look what I have," Warrick stated.

Catherine looked up and shook her head. "Saving the mayor? It's like he's got himself a whole entourage. Brass better get him picked up before he skips town or something."

"Yeah, him and his whole batch of cronies. You know full well this is an inside job."

Warrick opened up the pamphlet to reveal detailed instructions inside. "There's a whole code of honor inside this thing. How to conduct business, what to do if you're caught," Warrick flipped a few more pages, "and there's instructions in the back about how to impersonate the sheriff. Seems to be more worn than the other pages."

"I can't imagine why," Catherine deadpanned, "no wonder they didn't want Ms. Atwater in the basement."

Warrick put the pamphlet inside of a bag and continued his search.

* * *

Grissom scanned the fingerprints into the computer and came up with a match for the sheriff. After another few clicks, Grissom came up with a match for Ecklie. _Well, we found the real ones. How did we not discover that it was someone else who captured Sara?_

Grissom pulled up the case file for the serial rape case and started to review the notes. _The hair had been matched to Ecklie through the police database. It certainly looked like Ecklie, and then the DNA got switched out. We need to exhume that body._

Grissom's thought process halted when his cell phone rang. "Grissom," he spoke.

"Griss, we found some envelopes in the dining room. Greg is bringing them and some pamphlets that Warrick found back right now. There are also a lot of prints that we gathered."

"Okay Nick."

"The rest of us are staying at the scene, we're nowheres near done yet. I just wanted to give you the heads up so you could get Sara to help him out."

"Alright Nick, let me know if you get anything else."

Grissom closed his phone and headed to his office.

* * *

When Grissom opened his office door he found Sara stretched out on the couch. He hated to wake her, but knew that her help was needed. After closing his office door, he walked over to her, and knelt down in front of the couch. "Sara," he spoke, lightly shaking her shoulder. 

Sara's eyes slowly opened, and her hands drifted to her still aching stomach. "Hey Griss," she mumbled.

Grissom placed his hands over one of hers. "Your stomach is still bothering you?" Grissom noted, concerned.

"A little bit. I guess it doesn't like the stress of having to process so much shocking information at once."

Grissom gave her a small smile. "Have you eaten anything?"

"No," Sara admitted.

"Go acquaint yourself with the vending machine and at least try to eat something, it might help you feel better. When Greg gets back I need you to help him start processing the evidence that came from the sheriff's house."

Sara slowly sat up on the couch and yawned. "Where are you off to?"

"I have to get a warrant to dig up Ecklie's grave. Since we buried the imposter, we're going to need to dig him up to get any evidence."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Grissom gave her good hand a tight squeeze before leading her down to the break room. He said his goodbyes and went to go find a judge.

* * *

When Brass' cell phone rang in the interrogation room, he stepped outside of the interrogation room and allowed one of the other officers to watch Robert. "Brass," he answered. 

"We have the mayor and all of his staff detained at city hall," an officer informed him, "it was a good idea to go in right before five so the employees would still be in the building."

"I'll be right down, we're going to question them all right there," Brass stated.

After informing the officer that he was going to be leaving for a while, Brass left for city hall.

* * *

"Sara, I've got prints," Greg stated, swinging multiple paper bags in the doorway. 

Sara got up from the break room couch and followed him down the hallway to an empty lab. "What was the house like?" Sara asked once they had gotten into the room.

"Catherine said it smelt pretty bad down in the basement. It was pretty simple upstairs where Nick and I were."

Sara nodded and they both started the tedious process of scanning fingerprints. As her stomach started to digest the small amount of food she had eaten, she began to feel queasy once again. Sara tried to grin and suppress the gag reflex, but she found herself turning toward the sink once again, losing the small amount of food she had eaten. Greg walked over near the counter, but stayed a good distance away. "If you're going to scare the crap out of me again, could you at least give me a little warning this time?" Greg joked, trying to make sure Sara was okay.

Sara groaned and washed her mouth out with water. When she picked her head up, she shot a death glance at Greg, but he wasn't fazed. "Are you okay?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, the stress is just getting to me, that's all," Sara provided.

"Stress bothering the great Sara Sidle? Since when?"

"Drop it Greg, I'm fine."

Greg pushed on. "I think what's bothering you has two arms, two legs, and cries a lot."

Sara put her head over the sink just in time to throw up again. After she had washed out her mouth yet again, she glared at Greg. "I think you should keep your assumptions to yourself and get back to work."

"Sara..." Greg started.

"Get back to work!" she raised her voice.

Greg went back to processing some of the fingerprints, and shortly after, Sara went back to the other side of the table to continue processing the fingerprints that she had. They both worked in an extremely eerie silence. Sara couldn't stop one thought from circling through her head. _What if I am pregnant?_

_

* * *

_After Grissom obtained a warrant to exhume the body in Ecklie's grave, he gathered some police officers to go out to the scene. Since both coroners were back at the lab doing autopsies, Grissom would have to accompany the body, coffin and all, back to the lab. After the cemetery workers used the backhoe to dig up the ground, they donned shovels and dug out the grave. They finally freed the coffin and were able to pull it out of the grave. The cemetery workers placed the coffin in the back of the hearse, and one of them drove with Grissom and a police officer back to the lab. Once the coffin was unloaded into the garage, Grissom got the necessary tools to pry it open.

Twenty minutes later, Grissom had the coffin open, and he peered inside. What met him definitely wasn't normal. The white satiny sheen of the lining of the coffin was all that was visible; no body inhabited the coffin.

* * *

"Mr. Mayor, we need to ask you some questions," Brass said, looking at the man sitting in a chair behind a desk. 

"I really don't see why this is necessary. You are detaining all of my employees without cause," the mayor said.

"Well, you see, we do need to talk to you, and unless you want me to go tell the media what you've been doing, you're going to answer some questions."

"That's blackmail, you don't have any facts."

"I don't think the media cares."

The mayor went quiet for a minute, and Brass started asking his questions. "Are you running for reelection?" Brass asked.

"Have you been watching the media lately?"

"Answer the question."

"Yes Detective Brass."

"Were you aware that Sheriff Atwater would be running against you?"

"Yes."

"Did you take part in a conspiracy to remove the sheriff from office and destroy his career?"

"Excuse me? I think this conversation is over. I want my lawyer."

"Take him down to the station," Brass stated.

"You can't arrest me!"

"Who said we were arresting you? You're wanted for questioning in connection with a case, and we are taking you down to the station."

When they brought the mayor out to the police car, there were reporters everywhere. While some of the police officers kept the crowd back, Brass and another officer led the mayor to the car. "I will have you job for this," the mayor growled, "and anyone else's who was in involved in this travesty!"

Brass pushed him into the back of the car, and they drove toward the police station.

* * *

By eight thirty the next morning, Nick, Warrick, and Catherine had finally finished processing the sheriff's house, Grissom and Brass had talked to the sheriff, and Greg and Sara had processed all of the fingerprints from the scene. Grissom and Brass went to go talk to all of the mayor's employees again, and Catherine had the rest of the team in the break room so they could share all of the information they had gathered. After their impromptu meeting, she addressed the group once more. "You've got two hours, go do what you need to and be ready to start working another double when you get back." 

The group nodded and dispersed.

* * *

From the lab, Sara raced to the doctor's office and got there just in time. Her doctor ushered her back to an examination room and had her change into a gown. "Sara, you've been having some nausea and stomach pain?" her doctor asked. 

"Yes, it's been going on for a couple of days now. When it wouldn't go away and the pain persisted, I called you."

The doctor nodded. "Is there any possibility that you could be pregnant?"

"Technically yes I suppose," Sara stated.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

"We used protection, but that's failed before," Sara muttered.

"Well, let's do a pregnancy test first, and then we'll go from there."

Sara nodded, and the doctor left her alone with a specimen cup.

* * *

During the ten minutes that Sara had to wait for the results, a barrage of thoughts flew through her mind. Although she and Grissom had talked about having children a lot, they had come to the decision that it probably wasn't the right time. However, their conversation not too many weeks ago had reminded her about her constantly ticking biological clock and the fact that she really did want to have children. Sara was interrupted from her reverie when the doctor came back into the examination room. "Well, you're not pregnant," the doctor informed her. 

Sara had spent so much time building herself up for the news that she felt slightly disappointed that she wasn't pregnant. However, she didn't let her disappointment show. "What then?"

"Let me get you to lay back," the doctor instructed.

Sara laid down, and the doctor lifted up her gown, covering her legs with a blanket. "I'm just going to palpate a few areas, I just want you to tell me if anything hurts."

Sara nodded. The doctor pushed on a few areas of her stomach, and Sara moaned when she pushed just under her breastbone. "That hurts there," Sara stated.

After a another minute, the doctor covered her back up and helped her to sit up. "Have you been under a lot of stress lately?" the doctor asked.

"I'm working on a very hard case at work."

"When is the pain the worst?"

"A little while after I eat something, or when I haven't eaten anything for a while."

The doctor seemed to consider the information that Sara gave. "I would like to do one more test," the doctor spoke, "I just need to do a finger prick."

After the doctor took a sample, she allowed the near-patient device to analyze the results. Within a few minutes, the doctor was looking at a print out. "So, do tell, what am I dealing with?" Sara asked, slightly impatient.

"You have a helicobacter pylori infection."

"English?"

"Most likely a peptic ulcer in your stomach."

Sara sighed. "Wonderful," she spoke, "just what I needed."

"Sara, although an ulcer is not caused by stress, it can certainly be exacerbated by stress. Certain foods can make the symptoms worse, and pain medications can irritate the stomach."

"How can I get rid of it?"

"I can prescribe you an antibiotic that will fight the infection and get rid of the ulcer. However, I would like you to have a barium x-ray done to make sure there isn't anything more serious going on, and to confirm the diagnosis."

"I don't have a lot of time," Sara stated.

"I know, but this is important. You are going to have to lower your stress level some so your body can fight the infection."

Sara sighed again. "When do I need to have it done?"

"I can set it up for you tomorrow at Desert Palm. It is very important that you don't eat anything after midnight, and you are going to need to eat a lot of foods high in fiber and drink a lot of water after the procedure."

"How long is it going to take?"

"Probably about an hour."

"Okay, I might be able to swing getting off for a little while then."

The doctor started to close up the files, and she turned back to Sara. "Sara, I'm serious, you need to lower your stress level some. Stress can cause a number of other health problems."

"I know, but right now, work is a mess. I have to get things straightened out there before my stress will go down."

The doctor gave a slight nod. "Okay, you can get changed. I'll have my secretary call you with the time for the barium x-ray tomorrow."

"Thank you."

After putting her clothes back on, Sara went home and took a quick shower. She donned clean clothes and headed back to the lab. _Right, lower my stress. If idiots didn't do stupid things in the first place, stress wouldn't be an issue._

_

* * *

_


	22. Chapter 22

When everyone arrived back in the lab, they all met in the break room once again. They all looked extremely exhausted, but they needed to get to work. "Griss is still out with Brass talking to possible suspects at city hall," Catherine spoke, addressing the group.

Everyone seemed to be paying attention, so Catherine continued. "Greg, you and Sara keep working on the evidence collected from the scene. Nick, you get to go process Gil's mysteriously empty coffin. Warrick, Dr. Robbins paged me saying that the clothes are ready in the morgue, go pick them up and start processing them. I'm going to go see what Dr. Robbins has to say about our dbs."

After receiving their tasks, the team dispersed.

* * *

"So Sara, no coffee tonight?" Greg stated once they got into the trace lab, noting her lack of the beverage in the break room. 

"No Greg," Sara replied, "it was making me sick. I'm sticking to water for now."

"You always drink coffee Sara."

"What's your point Greg?"

"You've gotten sick a lot, you haven't eaten a lot, and you're watching what you're drinking? Sounds like you're pregnant to me."

Sara stared into Greg's eyes. "We had this discussion before Greg. I am not, I repeat, I am not pregnant. I am sure."

Greg seemed to back down a little. "Oh, okay, what is bothering you then? You know getting sick all of the time isn't normal."

"Greg, I seem to remember telling you this also. I am extremely stressed out with this case right now, and you constantly pestering me isn't helping anything. Everything is being taken care of, so please, don't ask me about this again."

Greg dropped the subject, and they both started to work on processing the fingerprints from the money envelopes.

* * *

After Warrick had dropped in and left with the victims' clothing, Catherine proceeded to start asking Dr. Robbins about what he had found so far. "Both of them were killed in the same manner," Dr. Robbins spoke, "point blank range to the back, straight through the heart, and exit wound between ribs in the chest." 

"Do you have a timeline for when he was killed?"

"Well, that's where it gets interesting. When I opened Mr. Ecklie up, his internal organs were still frozen."

"Frozen?" Catherine exclaimed, "How about the sheriff?"

"David reports that he was frozen too. From the conditions described in that basement, they couldn't have been down there more than forty-eight hours."

"There wasn't a freezer big enough to hold a body at the scene, that means they were brought there from somewhere else, but why now?"

"Someone might have noticed they were caught, and they tried to pin the whole thing on your suspect," Dr. Robbins suggested.

"Do you have anything else for me Doc?"

"There weren't any defensive wounds on either victim. I can't see how either one of them would just sit still and allow themselves to be fatally shot. I'm waiting on the blood test results, I want to see if there was anything in their systems."

"Okay," Catherine stated, "let me know if you find anything."

Catherine left the morgue and headed to where they still had their only suspect in custody.

* * *

"Sara, I've got partial off of one of these envelopes," Greg stated. 

"Does it match anyone we have so far?" Sara inquired.

"Just a sec," Greg ran the print, "nope."

"That's a possible lead, good work Greg."

The two returned to processing more evidence.

* * *

Nick had searched the entire coffin, and he had only found a few dark hairs. He bagged them and started to process the outside of the coffin. Nick dusted the lid of the coffin for prints, and was shocked by how many prints were still intact. _Well, I guess this is going to take a while. This better be worth it._

_

* * *

_Warrick brought the victims' clothing up to an empty lab and started processing the sheriff's clothes. After a thorough inspection of the sheriff's clothes, Warrick only concluded that he had been forced onto his knees at one point, for the lower legs of the pants were the only part that were dirty. However, when Warrick started his inspection of Ecklie's clothes, he found skin cell transfer on the shoulder of the shirt; someone, either the killer or Ecklie, had some flaky skin. On Ecklie's pants, Warrick found the same pattern that he had found on the sheriff's pants; he too had been forced onto his knees. Warrick gathered up the evidence and returned to the trace lab.

* * *

"Greg, I've got some soil I need you to run for me, and I've got some skin cells," Warrick spoke, entering the trace lab. 

Greg looked up from where he was currently processing fingerprints. "If I go do that, you've got to come in here and help Sara keep processing these fingerprints. You guys collected hundreds at that scene."

"Alright man," Warrick said, moving to come into the room.

"Nah, wait," Greg said, getting up from behind the table, "let me talk to you outside for a sec."

Sara raised an eyebrow at Greg's statement, and watched as the two of them trailed outside of the door. "What's up?" Warrick asked.

"We were wrong," Greg stated.

"About?"

"About Sara being pregnant," Greg practically whispered.

"Man, that was mostly you speculating about everything. You should have just left the girl alone."

Warrick moved to go back into the room, but Greg grabbed his shoulder. "What?" Warrick asked, somewhat annoyed.

"She is sick though. She says the stress is getting to her, and frankly, she just doesn't look right. Griss hasn't been in in a while, so he hasn't seen her. Just keep an eye on her, would ya?"

"We're always watching out for everyone Greg," Warrick stated, "now go process that stuff for me."

Greg nodded and took the evidence from Warrick, heading to the DNA lab.

* * *

When Warrick reentered the trace lab, Sara looked up at him. "So what did Greg say that was so important?" Sara asked. 

"He was just telling me what you guys had done so far," Warrick lied.

Sara knew right away what they had been talking about. "Right Warrick. Listen, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I just want to catch the people that are behind this. Then I might actually have a day off so I can get some sleep."

"Alright girl," Warrick spoke, "just don't kill yourself over this, okay?"

Sara nodded and they both got back to work.

* * *

Catherine had grabbed another detective, and Robert was brought back into the interrogation room for questioning. "Robert, I need you to tell me everything that happened with Ecklie," Catherine spoke. 

"Well, he started noticing that something was odd about me, and my employers thought that he was a threat to the total operation. One day the real Ecklie was there, and the next day, he was gone."

"When exactly did this happen?"

"About two weeks after I went in."

Catherine catalogued the date in her mind and continued to question him. "What was the first thing that happened after the imposter replaced Ecklie?"

"He split up the night shift."

"And you facilitated this?"

"I was just supposed to let him do what he was instructed to do. Those were my instructions."

"How about when he was raping and killing those women? Did you know that?"

"I already told Grissom that I didn't know. Neither did my employers."

"How about when Grissom kept going to you to ask about putting the teams back together? Where was the imposter then?"

"I don't know. That was the problem. The guy went missing, and I had to do something to cover."

"Right, and you helped a serial rapist and murderer in the process."

"I was not aware of that at the time."

Catherine changed the subject. "A few more questions for now. Were you aware that the sheriff's and Ecklie's bodies were in the basement of the sheriff's house?"

"No, I already told Grissom that too."

"Could your employers get into that house if they wanted to?"

"I assume so."

Catherine asked a few more questions before leaving the interrogation room and meeting Grissom and Brass at city hall.

* * *

Six hours later, Grissom and Catherine returned from city hall with DNA samples and fingerprints for all of the mayor's employees. His employees had been advised that it could help to clear them if further evidence arose. Catherine brought the DNA samples to Greg, while Grissom brought the fingerprints to the trace lab. "These are prints for all of the mayor's employees," Grissom spoke, "did you find any prints on those envelopes?" 

"Yeah," Sara spoke, "Greg found a partial."

"Well, scan these in and see if you can find any matches," Grissom stated, moving to leave the room.

"Griss, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sara asked.

"Sara, can we talk later? I need to go talk to Dr. Robbins," Grissom stated, in a rush to leave.

Sara had wanted to tell him about her recent health problems, but she realized that it was important to find out who was behind the conspiracy. "Okay," Sara spoke, slightly disappointed.

"Page me if you find anything," Grissom spoke and left the room.

Sara looked at their new pile of fingerprints to run, and she turned to Warrick. "This should be fun," she said facetiously.

"Yeah, let's get started," Warrick stated.

The two of them began scanning all of the fingerprints into the computer.

* * *

After about ten minutes, Nick joined them in the trace lab. "I just brought some hairs over to Greg," Nick spoke, "he's swamped." 

"So are we," Warrick spoke, "what do you have?"

"Prints from the outside of the coffin. There were quite a few that weren't damaged or compromised."

"Pull up a chair," Sara stated.

"Why thank you," Nick joked, joining the two of them to start processing the fingerprints he had collected.

"Sara, you feel okay?" Nick asked, noticing that she looked pale.

Sara groaned. "Nick, as I've told everyone else in this lab, I am just stressed out."

"You look green."

"That would be because I feel nauseous. Look, I don't know what gossip is going around, but I'm not pregnant, I wish everyone would drop it."

"Did I say anything to suggest you were pregnant? No. I'm concerned about your wellbeing. Does Griss know you don't feel so good?"

"He was just in here, and he didn't appear to think anything was wrong. Nick, we're busy, we need to figure this case out if we ever expect to get a good sleep again."

Although he didn't like it, Nick accepted Sara's answer, and they all got back to work.

* * *


	23. Chapter 23

"Al, do you have anything new for me?" Grissom asked, entering the morgue.

"Yeah, I was just about to call Catherine, she was down earlier. The test results from both vics just came back."

"And?"

"Both of them had sedatives in their system. That's how the killer was able to shoot them at point blank range in the back without a fight."

"Anything else?"

"I already told Catherine this, but they were frozen. They weren't in that basement longer than forty-eight hours. Warrick took their clothes, you might want to ask him what he found."

_I just came from there, and couldn't tell me? _"Thanks Al," Grissom spoke, leaving the morgue.

Grissom pulled his cell phone off of his belt and speed dialed Warrick.

* * *

When a cell phone rang in the trace lab, the three of them looked at their cell phones. "It's mine," Warrick spoke, getting up to walk out of the room. 

"Brown," Warrick answered.

"You want to tell me your analysis of the victims' clothes," Grissom stated, quite annoyed.

Warrick caught his tone of voice and tried to correct his mistake. "Sorry Griss, we've had so much evidence to process down here," Warrick started.

"Warrick, just tell me what you found."

"There was dirt on the lower legs of both sets of pants. That suggests that they were kneeling at some point."

"Execution style, but through the heart instead of the head," Grissom stated.

"Yeah, I guess that is possible, I didn't think of that," Warrick stated.

"Anything else?"

"I found some skin cells on the shoulder of Ecklie's shirt. Greg has that and samples of the dirt from the victims' pants."

"Alright Warrick, please update me when you find anything," Grissom stated.

"Okay, sorry again."

Warrick closed his phone and walked back into the trace lab.

"Who was that?" Nick asked.

"Griss, and he wasn't happy. I forgot to tell him about the evidence that I found on the victims' clothes."

"Shoot," Nick spoke, pulling his cell phone off of his belt, "I've got to tell him what I found."

Sara and Warrick laughed as he scrambled out the door.

* * *

"Grissom," he answered the phone. 

"Griss, I wanted to tell you about what I found in the coffin," Nick stated.

"What?"

"I found a couple of hairs inside, and a lot of prints on the outside. Greg has the hairs, and I'm working on the prints right now."

"Okay," Grissom stated, "keep me updated."

Grissom ended the call and speed dialed Greg. "Sanders," Greg picked up.

"Greg, what do you have done in there?" Grissom asked.

"The skin cell sample from Ecklie's shirt is running. I got a follicular tag off of the hairs that Nick brought in, and that's running. I just started processing all of those samples that Catherine brought it. Griss, I'm swamped."

"I understand Greg. Did you do anything with that dirt that Warrick collected?"

"Yeah, I haven't gotten results yet though."

"Okay, when you get them give me a call. Greg, when this is all done, we're going to need to have a talk."

"About?"

"How the DNA from the serial rapist case got switched right under your nose."

Greg's pride immediately diminished. "Griss," Greg started.

"Greg, don't worry about it now. For now, only people that work in the lab are going to be in it."

"Okay."

Grissom closed his cell phone and Greg got back to work.

* * *

"I got a match on that envelope print," Warrick spoke. 

"Who?" Sara asked.

"An Eric Miller, the mayor's campaign manager."

"Let's see him try to explain that," Nick spoke.

"I'm calling Griss," Warrick spoke, stepping outside the door.

"Grissom," he answered.

"I've got a match on that print on the envelope," Warrick stated.

"Who is it?"

"Eric Miller, the mayor's campaign manager."

"Alright, I'm going to go down and meet Brass at city hall. We'll see if we can get some information out of him. Report to Cath if you need anything."

"Okay Griss."

Warrick closed his cell phone and returned to processing fingerprints.

* * *

After processing fingerprints for a little while longer, Nick stopped and addressed Warrick and Sara. "Where's Cath?" he asked. 

"She's probably catching a little bit of shut eye," Warrick spoke, "she didn't go home when we did."

"Someone needs to go out to the cemetery and get the workers' prints, and then go to the funeral home and get the workers' prints. We've got to rule out their prints."

"I'll go find her," Warrick stated, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Warrick left Nick and Sara working on processing the fingerprints, and he went to find Catherine.

* * *

When Warrick entered the break room, the lights were turned off, and Catherine was stretched out on the couch, one arm laying across her face. Warrick poured a cup of coffee, and held it in his hand. "Cath," he spoke, laying his other hand on her arm. 

Catherine brought her arm down and opened her eyes. "Hey Warrick," she yawned.

Catherine put her feet on the floor and sat up on the couch. Warrick handed her the cup of coffee and she gladly accepted it. "Sorry," Catherine spoke, "I just needed a few minutes."

"Yeah, you look like you could've used more. We need you to go to the cemetery and the funeral home to get their workers' prints. You can also see if they know where the body could have been removed."

"Okay," Catherine yawned, "what time is it?"

"Five."

"Alright, I better get going. Thanks Warrick."

Warrick nodded and left Catherine to go back to the trace lab.

* * *

While Nick and Sara kept working, Sara's cell phone rang. "Sidle," she answered, working her way out into the hall. 

"Hello Sara, I am calling to tell you that I set up your bromium x-ray procedure for eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Sara answered, mentally cataloguing the time.

"Please remember not to eat anything after midnight," the doctor reminded her.

"Thank you," Sara spoke, closing her cell phone.

Sara walked back into the lab and starting working once again. "Who was that?" Nick asked.

"Oh, it was nothing," Sara tried to avoid the question.

Nick was about to ask another question, but he decided to drop it. If Sara had wanted him to know, she would have told him.

* * *

As soon as Grissom and Brass had confronted Eric Miller, he immediately demanded his lawyer, and they brought him back to the station. They had him in an interrogation room, trying to get some information out of him. "Would you like to explain how your fingerprint got on this envelope that was used to pay someone who was posing as the sheriff?" 

"I don't know. Many envelopes are sent out from the mayor's office."

"How about the fact that your fingerprint is the only fingerprint on the envelope besides the recipient's?"

"My client has already answered that question," his lawyer spoke.

They tried to ask him some more questions, but their efforts came up fruitless.

* * *

By four o'clock in the morning, Sara, Warrick, and Nick had finished processing all of the fingerprints. "I've got a print off of the coffin that matches Eric Miller also," Nick stated. 

"You better call Griss then, maybe it'll help him get some more information out of the guy," Warrick said.

Nick went out in the hallway to call Grissom. Sara was about to ask Warrick a question when she started to feel sick to her stomach once again. She thought she might be able to contain it, but she found herself at the sink once again, expelling the small amount of liquid in her stomach. Warrick went to her side, and as soon as she had washed out her mouth, he led her to the break room. Nick watched in concern as Warrick helped her down the hall. He closed his phone and followed them to the break room. When Nick entered the room, Sara was sitting on the couch with her head between her knees. He sat next to her on the couch and rubbed her back soothingly. He was about to ask Sara a question when Catherine entered the break room. Catherine took one look around the room and was worried. "What's going on in here?" she asked.

"Sara doesn't feel so good," Nick answered for her.

Catherine handed the evidence she had in her hands to Warrick. "Please go process these prints," she spoke, "Nick, go with him."

"Feel better Sar," Nick whispered before leaving with Warrick.

Catherine took Nick's place on the couch. "What's going on?" Catherine asked.

"World War III is taking place in my stomach, and if you ask me if I'm pregnant, I'm going to have to hurt you."

Catherine emitted a light chuckle. "I'm taking you home," Catherine spoke, "you're getting some sleep before you set foot in this lab again."

"Cath, I can drive myself home," Sara groaned, sitting up.

"Sara, I hate to tell you this, but you look like crap, and you're not supposed to be driving with that wrist anyway."

"Thanks Cath. I was driving before, I can manage to drive myself home."

"Gil would kill me if you got yourself into an accident. Plus, you were driving Griss' car before, and he'll probably need it," Catherine spoke, putting an arm around her, "come on, let's get you home."

Catherine helped her up from the couch and out to the car.

* * *

When Catherine pulled up at the house, she put a hand on Sara's arm before she could get out of the car. "Do you want me to call Gil and get him to come home?" 

Although it sounded tempting, Sara didn't want to pull Grissom away from the interrogation. "No, he's busy trying to get some information out of that guy."

"One of us could replace him Sara," Catherine reasoned.

"No, that's okay Cath. I'm just going to go to sleep anyway, so there's no point in calling him home."

"Alright Sara, feel better. I don't want to see you back in the lab before ten o'clock in the morning."

"Yes mother," Sara groaned, getting out of the car.

Catherine waited until Sara got inside of the house, and she pulled away to go back to the lab.

* * *

By eight o'clock, Warrick and Nick were done processing the fingerprints and they had matched all of the fingerprints from the coffin. They called Grissom once again, who was still trying to get Eric Miller to crack. Greg had done all he could with all of the DNA samples, and they would have to wait two weeks before any results were available. He had finished analyzing the dirt from the victims' pants, but there wasn't any specific composition that would allow them to pinpoint it to a location. Catherine went back to talk to Robert, but she hadn't been able to gather any new information. Catherine, Warrick, Nick, and Greg were all sitting drinking coffee in the break room when Catherine's cell phone rang. "Willows," she spoke. 

"Cath, all of you guys better get down to city hall. The mayor is reportedly resigning. Gil and I are down here already, we're hoping to be able to question him again."

Catherine groaned. "Alright Jim. For a guy who says he has no involvement in this, he sure is acting suspiciously."

"Yeah. Listen, the press didn't get here yet, but it's going to be a mad house as soon as they do. You're going to want to leave now."

"Okay," Catherine spoke, closing her cell phone.

As soon as she put her phone away she addressed the group. "We've got to get down to city hall, the mayor is apparently resigning."

A collective groan could be heard as they exited the break room and headed for city hall.

* * *

Before Sara left for her appointment, she tried calling Grissom. She had intended to tell him about the procedure before she went, but when she couldn't get an answer, she eventually just had to leave. _He is going to kill me for this. I should have told him before now, and he should have been coming with me._

Once Sara had checked in with the x-ray department at Desert Palm, she was led to a cubicle where she had to change into a gown. The doctor handed her a cup filled with a barium liquid solution to drink, and after she finished it, they took a few x-rays of her stomach. When the doctor was satisfied that he had the needed x-rays, Sara was allowed to change back into her clothes. He explained the side effects of the barium to her, and gave her a few pamphlets. The doctor informed her that her primary physician would call her as soon as the results were known. Until then, she was to drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high in fiber. Sara stopped at the grocery store to pick up some bran muffins, bran cereal, and milk. Since Sara still didn't feel quite right, she headed back home to lay down for a little while before she went back to work.

* * *

After about half an hour of laying down and drinking lots of water, Sara felt horrible. She knew that the doctor told her she would probably experience cramping, but she never knew it was going to hurt as bad as it did. She pulled out her cell phone again and tried calling Grissom, but she couldn't get an answer. After a few more attempts, she still hadn't been able to get through to Grissom. There was no way she was going to be able to make it back into the lab, so she tried calling Catherine instead. After a few rings she picked up. "Willows," Catherine spoke. 

"Cath, it's Sara."

Catherine immediately knew something was wrong. "Sara, what is it?" she asked.

"Do you know where Gil is? I've been trying to call him for a while."

"He's in with Brass trying to talk to the mayor. The mayor decided he was going to resign. What's going on Sara, are you okay?"

"No," Sara admitted, "can you get Gil?"

"I'm going to have trouble getting through, but I can try to find him for you. Do you need help Sara?"

"No, no," Sara tried to assure her, "I'm alright, but I could use Gil right about now."

"Okay Sara, I'll go track him down. Do you want me to stay on the line with you?"

"No, that's okay, just get Gil to come home."

Catherine closed her cell phone and went in search of Grissom.

* * *

Once Catherine got inside of city hall, she talked to an officer. "I need to get to where Jim Brass and Gil Grissom are," Catherine stated, showing her identification. 

"I'm sorry, I can't allow you to go there. For security reasons, no one is allowed out of this lobby right now," the officer stated.

"Well then," Catherine huffed, "I need you to get a hold of Gil Grissom and get him down in this lobby."

The policeman used his walkie-talkie to call up to the officer stationed outside of the room where Brass and Grissom were talking to the mayor, and within a few minutes, Grissom entered the lobby. "What was so important that you had to pull me out of there Catherine?" Grissom said, somewhat annoyed.

Catherine was slightly ticked off by his reception. "How about the fact that your fiancee is at home, too sick to move, and she's been trying to call you for a while!" Catherine shot at him.

Worry and concern immediately plastered themselves to Grissom's face. "What's going on Cath?"

"I don't know Gil. She threw up a couple of times before, and I took her home around four. She didn't want to call you then because she thought that work was more important. She just called me a few minutes ago, and she sounded horrible. You need to go home."

When it came to Sara, Grissom didn't need to be told what to do. "Have an officer take you up to Brass. Continue the conversation with the mayor," Grissom said, ready to walk out the door.

"Take care of her Gil," Catherine stated before he left.

Grissom went out to his car and raced home. _I knew something was up, but I was too busy to realize that something was wrong. I haven't even talked to her since last night. I can't believe I did this again, she tried to talk to me and I blew her off. I've been unreachable for a while now, I hope Sara is okay. I hope Sara can forgive me._

_

* * *

_By the time Grissom got home, many thoughts had streamed through his head as to what could be wrong. When he opened the door, he was worried sick. "Honey, where are you?" he called, walking through the door.

"Bedroom," she called through tears.

When Grissom entered the bedroom, his heart fell. Sara was curled into the fetal position on top of the covers, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Sara, I'm taking you to the doctor," Grissom stated, kneeling near the bed and taking one look at her.

"No Gil," Sara sniffled, "that's where I just came from."

Grissom was surprised with the information. Sara felt ashamed that she hadn't told him earlier, and she couldn't look into his eyes. "I tried to call you," Sara stated, "but I couldn't get through."

Grissom followed her gaze, and saw the pamphlets that lay on the side table. He picked one up and his eyes widened. "An ulcer Sara?" he stated, looking back at her.

"I just came back from a barium x-ray," Sara stated.

Knowing that they could talk about their other issues later, Grissom helped Sara to sit up in the bed and handed her the bottle of water. "Drink," Grissom stated.

After taking another gulp, Sara stopped. "There are bran muffins in the kitchen, can you grab a few?" Sara asked.

Grissom didn't want to leave her side, but he knew the importance of getting fiber into her system. He went out to the kitchen and grabbed a few bran muffins and another bottle of water. After putting a heat pack in a pot of water on the stove, Grissom returned to the bedroom. Sara had pulled her knees up to her chest as another look of pain crossed her face. Grissom set the food down on his side table, helped her under the covers, and got into the bed next to her. He straightened her back out and handed her a bran muffin. While she ate, Grissom kept his arm around her and massaged her stomach. "Gil, I'm sorry," a few more tears streamed down her face.

"Sara, we both made some mistakes. Let's not worry about that right now, we'll talk afterwards. You need to calm down, being upset is just making all of the side effects worse."

Sara nodded and continued to eat the bran muffin. "Keep eating Sara," he spoke, "I'll be right back."

Grissom retrieved the heat pack from the kitchen and returned to his seat next to Sara. He wrapped the heat pack in a towel and placed it on Sara's stomach. Grissom rubbed his hand in soothing circles across her back as she continued to eat. When Sara finished the muffin she drank some more water and relaxed for a minute. "Do you feel any better?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, the cramping isn't as bad as it was. I never expected it to hurt that bad," Sara admitted.

Grissom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry you couldn't reach me. Brass and I were talking to the mayor."

"Yeah, Catherine told me," Sara stated, "it's my fault for not telling you sooner."

"I was really worried when Catherine said that you needed me, and I didn't know what was going on."

Sara nodded and sniffled. "Yesterday morning when Catherine told us to go home for two hours, I went to the doctor's office. I had seen you right before that, but I didn't want to worry you if nothing was wrong. The doctor thought I might be pregnant, but she ruled that out with a pregnancy test. She did another test and told me that I had a helicobacter pylori infection, which probably meant I had a peptic ulcer. She wanted me to have a barium x-ray done this morning to confirm the diagnosis and see if anything else was wrong."

"You should have told me you were going to the doctor, I would have liked to know," Grissom stated, disappointed that she hadn't confided in him in the first place, but understanding her reasoning.

"I know," Sara stated, "I just kept saying that work was more important. Then I tried to tell you about what I had found out at the doctor's office, and you said that you were busy, and we could talk later. Of course, we never talked later."

"I know Sara, and I'm sorry about that. I should have noticed sooner."

"We need to trust each other," Sara hated to admit it, but it needed to be said.

"I don't think that's the problem," Grissom stated, "we need to communicate better with each other, and spend more time with each other. This is a time that we should be worrying about planning our wedding, not dealing with a conspiracy with the mayor. We've both been working way to long, and we're utterly exhausted. We can't start doubting each other."

Sara nodded, and looked like she was going to start crying again. "I'm sorry," she spoke.

Grissom shushed her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry too. We need to make sure we tell each other what is going on."

Sara nodded and turned so she could share a deep loving kiss. "Do you have any medications to take yet?" Grissom asked once they had pulled away.

"No, the doctor is supposed to be calling me once they interpret the results of the x-ray. I assume I'll be receiving the prescriptions then."

Grissom yawned. "Does it still hurt anywhere?"

"I'm still really crampy, but they told me that would happen. My stomach hurts a little bit, but it's okay."

Grissom reached over and took her injured hand in his. "How about this?" he asked, running a finger along her brace.

"That hurts a little bit," Sara stated, "can't take pain medication, it'll aggravate my stomach."

Grissom nodded. "I know. No coffee for you either," he gave her a small smile.

"I don't know how I'll survive," Sara stated.

Grissom set her arm down on her stomach and reached over to the side table to retrieve another muffin. "Get another one of these into you so you're not howling in pain in another hour."

"I do not howl," Sara defended herself.

Grissom handed her another muffin. "It sure sounded like you were howling."

Sara set the muffin down in her lap and slapped Grissom's leg. "Ouch," he complained.

"That'll teach you to make fun of me," Sara stated, picking up the muffin and beginning to eat it.

Grissom kept his arms around her as she ate the muffin. When she was finished, he helped her to get more comfortable in bed before he called Catherine. "Willows," Catherine answered.

"Cath, Sara's okay, but I want to stay here with her for a while to make sure she stays that way."

"What was wrong?"

Grissom looked to Sara to see if it was okay if he told her. Sara nodded and he continued the conversation. "She has a peptic ulcer. She needed to have a barium x-ray done this morning, and she really didn't feel too well afterward."

"Ouch," Catherine said, "I've heard the barium can really mess up your system."

"Yeah, that's what she's dealing with right now. Because of the ulcer and the stress, Sara kept getting sick before."

"Well, everyone's under too much stress right now. The mayor kicked us out of his office, but he still hasn't officially resigned yet."

"Let me know if you find out anything," Grissom stated.

"Alright, tell Sara to feel better and not to come back to work until she is ready. It's not going to help anything if she keels over on the job."

Grissom chuckled. "I'll make sure I tell her that. Thanks Cath."

"You're welcome, as always, bye."

Grissom closed his cell phone and turned back to Sara. "Catherine says it won't help anything if you keel over on the job," Grissom stated, smiling.

Sara groaned. "Thanks Gil, that makes me feel wonderful."

Sara drank some more water and yawned a couple more times. "Why don't we try to get some sleep," Grissom stated, "I don't remember the last time I slept."

Sara set the heat pack on the floor, and slid down in the bed to snuggle into Grissom's side. He rested his hand over her stomach and sighed. "I found myself wishing I was pregnant," Sara admitted, thinking back to when she was in the doctor's office.

"One day Sara, one day," Grissom whispered, drifting off to sleep.

Once Sara cleared her thoughts from her mind, she was able to fall asleep right after him.

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

Grissom was interrupted from his sleep when a cell phone rang around two in the afternoon. "Grissom," he answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm trying to get in touch with Sara Sidle," the doctor spoke.

_Great, this is Sara's cell phone. _Grissom realized that Sara wasn't laying in the bed next to him. _Where is Sara anyway? _"This is her fiance Gil Grissom. Can I help you?"

"Can you ask her to come down to my office before five today?"

"Sure."

"Thank you," the doctor hung up.

Grissom closed Sara's cell phone and glanced around the room. _Well, she's not in here. _Grissom pulled himself out of bed and stretched before wandering around the house to find Sara. He didn't have to search far, for she was stretched out on the couch, face down, in the living room. Grissom walked over to the couch and ran a hand up and down her back. "Honey," he spoke, "wake up."

Sara moaned and turned over onto her back. "What?" Sara mumbled.

"Why are you out here?" he questioned.

"I could sleep, then I couldn't, so I came out here for a little while."

Sara sat up on the couch so Grissom could sit next to her. Grissom draped an arm across her back and kissed her cheek. "You were thinking, weren't you?"

Sara sighed. "Yeah. Everything is just so hard to process, I don't know what to believe anymore."

"You can believe that I am here for you," Grissom spoke, lightly kissing her lips.

Sara wrapped both of her arms around him and snuggled into his side. "I do," she whispered.

"Yeah, we'll be saying that soon enough," Grissom joked.

Sara smiled, thinking of what still needed to be done to plan the wedding. Grissom reached over and ran his hand through her hair. "Your doctor called," Grissom stated, "she would like to see you down at her office before five."

"What time is it now?"

"Two."

"Well, I'd like to go now then, hopefully I can make it back to work by tonight."

"Sara, you don't have to go back yet," Grissom tried to convince her.

"Gil, I feel a lot better, and I would like to help get all of this straightened out."

Sara's statement reminded Grissom that he still didn't know about the status of the mayor. He reached over, grabbed the remote, and turned the television on. "We have notice that the mayor will be speaking in about five minutes," the television reported.

"Well, I guess he still didn't resign yet," Grissom stated.

"Everything in politics takes forever," Sara replied.

The two watched and waited for the mayor to appear on the screen. After a few minutes, the mayor appeared to address the people. "I have recently learned that my campaign advisor, Eric Miller, has been involved in a plot that killed the sheriff and a member of the crime lab. All of this had been done without my knowledge, but I fear his actions have tainted my administration. Instead of leaving the people of Las Vegas with uncertainty, I will be stepping down from my position as mayor. I feel that it is very unfortunate that I am leaving in this manner, but this is the best thing for the people."

The mayor was escorted away from city hall, and the news program directed its attention to the various people who were still trying to explain what was going on. Grissom turned the television off and sat silently for a minute. "He's stepping down so he can pin the whole thing on his employees and get away with a slap on the wrist," Grissom stated, angered that the system worked in that manner.

"We don't have anything to directly connect him to any of the crimes," Sara reasoned.

"I am aware of that. We don't have enough evidence to say that Eric Miller killed the two of them either. We haven't even found the body of the man that replaced Ecklie yet. There are still a lot of things that need to be investigated. We need to go have a nice long chat with Mr. Miller and see if he'll give up more information now that the mayor has implicated him in the whole thing."

"Yeah. I'm going to go to the doctor's office, and I'll meet you at work I guess."

"No, we are going to go," Grissom said, kissing the top of her head, "you come first honey. I want to be there to see what the doctor has to say too."

"Okay," Sara spoke, getting up from the couch, "I'm going to take a quick shower and change so I'll be ready to go."

"Alright, I'll jump in after you. I'm going to call Cath and see what's going on."

Sara nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. Grissom picked up the house phone and dialed Catherine's cell phone. "Willows," Catherine stated.

"Were you able to get anything more out of the mayor?" Grissom asked.

"No. Did you see what happened?"

"I saw the mayor resign."

"He pinned the whole thing on that one guy. There's no way in hell that the mayor wasn't involved somehow!" Catherine shouted, frustrated.

"Catherine, you find the evidence, and we might be able to make a case. Right now we don't have anything connecting the mayor to any of the crimes."

"We're still waiting on that DNA that Greg is running."

"You can't rush that, it's two weeks, no matter what. Right now we have to work with what we have, the two men in custody."

"Yeah, Brass is on his way back to start questioning him. He wanted to wait until you got back. How is Sara? Can you come back in?"

"Sara's okay. We need to go to her doctor's office briefly, but then we're both coming back to the lab."

"You're both coming? Gil, is that a good idea?"

Grissom sighed. "She seems a lot better Cath, and I'd rather she be at work where I can watch her than stuck at home by herself. She can help us out too."

"Alright. I'll tell Brass to hold off until you get here. I'm going to send the guys home for a little while to get some sleep, they're practically dead on their feet."

"How about you Cath?"

"I'm okay for a while longer at least. I'm going to go back to the funeral home and ask them a few more questions."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little while."

Grissom hung up the phone and waited for Sara to get out of the shower. When they both were cleaned up and changed, they left for the doctor's office.

* * *

Grissom and Sara were seated inside of the doctor's office, waiting for her to enter and explain the results of the test. Sara started to tap her foot with nervousness, and Grissom laid a hand on her knee. "Honey, calm down," Grissom spoke, "don't get yourself all worked up." 

Sara took a deep breath and stopped tapping. The doctor came into the room a few minutes later and sat behind her desk. "You must be Mr. Grissom," the doctor spoke, extending her hand, "nice to meet you."

Grissom nodded and shook the woman's hand. "Sara, I got your x-ray results back, and you do indeed have a peptic ulcer. I would like to start you on a triple therapy immediately."

"How does that work?" Sara asked.

"I am going to give you a prescription for two antibiotics and an acid suppressor. You're going to have to take these medications each day for two weeks. However, the schedule for taking these medications can be quite confusing, you can end up having to take twenty pills a day, and you could experience side effects."

Sara's eyes widened at the prospect of having to remember to take twenty pills a day. "What kind of side effects?" Sara questioned.

"Nausea, dizziness, headache. However, after the two weeks, you will be ulcer free."

Sara nodded, deciding that she could deal with all of the problems as long as she didn't have to deal with the pain of an ulcer any longer. The doctor wrote her out a few prescriptions and directions as to when to take the pills, and handed them to Sara. "Now," the doctor stated, "let's take a look at your wrist and see if you can go without that brace."

Grissom pushed his chair back and away from Sara so the doctor could grab her rolling stool and sit in front of her. The doctor removed Sara's brace and looked at her wrist. "Well, the swelling has gone down a lot. How is the pain?"

"It doesn't hurt very much. It's just been bothering me a little bit."

"Okay, let's check your range of motion."

After the doctor conducted a few tests, she retrieved an elastic bandage from the cabinet and started wrapping Sara's wrist. "I want you to keep this on while you are working," the doctor spoke, "and when you get home, put heat on your wrist, then ice, that should help make it feel better. I want you to perform a few simple exercises each day to keep your wrist in motion. You shouldn't need physical therapy as long as your wrist doesn't freeze up on you."

Sara nodded. "I think I can manage that."

"If the pain doesn't disappear within a few weeks, and you don't regain full range of motion, you should come back in. Otherwise, I'll take a look at it again when I reevaluate your ulcer."

Sara nodded, and allowed the doctor to lead them out of her office. Grissom wrapped his arm around Sara and led her out to the car. "Let's go get that prescription filled, and then we'll go back to the lab."

"Okay," Sara agreed.

They drove to the pharmacy and made their way to the lab.

* * *

"Was there a wake for Mr. Ecklie?" Catherine asked the funeral director. 

"No," he spoke, "Mr. Ecklie didn't have any family. His last wishes were carried out per his will, and he was buried at the cemetery."

"So no one came to the funeral home at all?" Catherine clarified.

"No one. We prepared his body for burial and brought the casket to the cemetery."

"Was there ever a time where the body was left alone?"

"Yes, the casket was placed in the back room overnight. The next morning I nailed the casket shut and one of my staff transported it to the cemetery."

"Would he have realized that the coffin was much lighter?"

"We never pick up the caskets, they are put on tables and rolled everywhere."

"Is there a security system here?"

"No. The place gets locked up, and we've never had any trouble with break-ins or intruders."

"So someone walked in, took a body out of one of your coffins, and you never noticed?" Catherine accused.

"You don't have evidence that it happened here."

"No, we don't yet, but your business is sure going to go down when people find out that a body was taken from your funeral home. I would suggest investing in a good security system."

Catherine, disgusted with the funeral director's attitude, got up to leave. "The crime lab will be contacting you if we have any more questions," Catherine stated, "I'll see myself out."

Catherine left the funeral home and headed back to the lab.

* * *

Before Grissom went to meet Brass, he and Sara talked in his office. "Please remember to take your medication Sara, it's important that everything be done just right. You'll be busy, but try and watch the time." 

"I know Griss, I'll be extra careful to try and take the medication at the right time."

"What are you going to work on?"

"I'm going to see if the money is still in Mr. Lancaster's account. I want to check the backgrounds on the mayor's employees also."

"Okay, I'll be with Brass if you need me."

The two parted ways to get to work.

* * *

"Mr. Miller, have you heard the new developments from the mayor?" Brass asked. 

"Yes, my attorney informed me."

"Where is your attorney now?"

"I dismissed him. I'm sure as hell not going down for this whole thing, and I don't need to hide behind a paper pusher."

"Okay then. Would you like to tell us about everything that happened regarding the murders of the sheriff and Mr. Ecklie?"

"The mayor addressed a few people about an operation to try and make sure the sheriff didn't beat him in the election."

"Why would he think the sheriff could beat him?"

"The sheriff dug up information about some things that the sheriff was doing while in office."

"Like?"

"The mayor liked to partake in extramarital activities. One of his partners managed to tape the event, and the sheriff retrieved the tape. If it had been released to the media, it would have ruined his career."

"So the mayor decided to have him killed instead?"

"No, that wasn't the original plan. Someone was supposed to go in and pose as the sheriff, and we were supposed to keep the sheriff in hiding. After some decisions had been made so his career was destroyed, the sheriff was to be released."

"What happened?"

"They started to realize that they wouldn't be able to release the sheriff. He had ripped one of their masks off. If he had been released, he could have reported everything."

"Who is they?"

"The mayor and the people he appointed to run the entire operation."

"Do you know who they are?"

"No. I was only in charge of paying the doubles. The idea was that one person would only know so much information in case someone was caught."

"What did they do to the sheriff?"

"All I know is that they killed him about a week after they took him."

"Did you have anything to do with his death?"

"No, I took no part in it."

"What can you tell me about what happened with Mr. Ecklie?"

"It was quite obvious that Ecklie realized something was up. They decided to send in someone to pose as him."

"Who?"

"I have no idea."

"Did you pay him too?"

"Yes, another dead drop."

"What happened to the actual Ecklie?"

"The replacement was to dispose of him in the same manner as the sheriff."

"Which was?"

"I don't know. He was supposed to take care of it and report back to them when it was taken care of."

"How about when they found out that their replacement was dead?"

"One of them called me and instructed me to take care of the matter."

"What did you do?"

"It was easy enough to break into the funeral home, for there wasn't a security system. The coffin wasn't nailed shut yet, so all I had to do was open it up and take the body out."

"What did you do with the body?"

"I was to take it to a dead drop of sorts. There was a freezer installed in a back alleyway just for that purpose."

"Where is it?"

After taking the directions, Brass dispatched officers to the scene. Currently their only lead, time was of the essence.

* * *

While Catherine was on her way back to the lab, she got paged to the address for the alley, and she turned her car around and started to head for the location. When she arrived on scene, police cars were everywhere, and she could see Brass and Grissom standing in the back of the alley. She got out of her car, showed her id to an officer, and ducked under the crime scene tape. "What's going on?" Catherine asked Brass once she finally got to where Grissom and Brass were standing. 

"Eric Miller led us to this alley. We get here and we find one of the mayor's advisors digging around in this freezer. We took him into custody, and now the scene is yours. I've got guys talking to the people in these apartments to see if they've seen anything odd going on around here," Brass stated.

"Gil, what do you want me to do?" Catherine asked.

"Take the perimeter, I'll take the freezer," Grissom instructed.

They both started processing their respective areas, determined to find any evidence there was.

* * *

Sara managed to discover that all of the money that Mr. Lancaster was paid was still in his account, and there had been no unusual activity. She also found evidence that a few other employees were receiving payments similar to Mr. Lancaster's. She took note of everything she found, wanting to be able to give Grissom the information when he got back into the lab. 

Although Sara was taking her medication as ordered while she was working, she began to feel the side effects, and nausea gripped her again. She had to go to the break room every hour to take the prescribed pills. She took a few deep breaths and tried to continue with her work. _I sure hope Grissom finds something so we can get this case over with._

* * *

After Grissom and Catherine finished processing the scene around eleven o'clock that night, they returned to the lab with plenty of new evidence to process. It was only when they encountered an empty lab that Catherine realized she had sent all of the guys home. "I'll call everyone back in," she spoke, "we're going to need all hands on deck." 

Grissom took all of the evidence from her and went to check it in. When he was finished, he returned to his office to put all of his thoughts regarding the case in order. Fifteen minutes later, Sara walked into his office. "Gil, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sara asked, her voice sounding weak.

Grissom looked up and rose from his chair when he realized Sara didn't look so good. Grissom barely got to Sara's side when her face went white and her legs gave out. He managed to catch her and lead her over to the couch. He helped her put her head between her knees and ran his hand soothingly across her back. "Gil, I'm so dizzy," Sara managed to say.

"Have you had any other side effects?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've been really nauseous too."

"Why don't you lay down for a little while?" Grissom suggested.

"I've got information to tell you first," Sara stated, slowly sitting up.

"What?" he asked.

"I found transactions similar to Mr. Lancaster's among some of the other employees. Mr. Miller and a Jason Taylor were both depositing large checks on a weekly basis."

"Well, we just came back from a scene where we caught one of the mayor's employees digging around in a freezer."

"The bodies were frozen," Sara stated.

"I know. We got a lot of evidence and just brought it back to the lab. We're waiting for the guys to come back in to start processing."

"Okay."

Grissom picked her legs up and positioned her so she would be more comfortable on the couch. "How's that?" Grissom asked.

"Much better," Sara stated.

"Where's your medication?"

"Break room."

"I'm going to get it for you, I'll be right back."

Grissom left and returned a few minutes later with the medication and a bottle of water. "I'll turn the lights off and close the door," Grissom stated, "I'll get everyone to leave you alone for a while."

"Thanks Gil," Sara squeezed his hand and allowed him to leave.

_I am so lucky to have him._

_

* * *

_"Where's the fire?" Greg asked when he entered the break room where Catherine was sitting.

"We've got lots of evidence that needs to be processed," Catherine informed him, "you get the DNA stuff, and when Warrick and Nick get here, they'll be on print detail."

"What did you find out?"

"We found a freezer in a back alley and gathered samples from inside of it. We've also got another suspect."

Greg nodded and left the break room to start processing the DNA.

When Warrick and Nick entered the break room, Catherine updated them and asked them to start processing the fingerprints. "How's Sara?" Nick asked.

"She's around. Apparently, she has an ulcer, and the stress isn't helping any."

"Oh, poor girl," Warrick said.

Grissom entered the break room and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Griss, where's Sara?" Nick asked.

"She's in my office sleeping right now. I'd appreciate it if you'd let her get some rest."

"Is she okay?" Catherine asked.

"It's just side effects of the medication," Grissom stated, "she's got to take something like twenty pills."

"Wow," Nick stated.

"Yeah," Grissom said, "if we really need her for something, I'll go wake her up, but otherwise, I'd like to let her rest for a little while."

"Okay, we'll take note," Warrick stated.

Nick and Warrick left the room and headed for the trace lab. "Cath, you've got to be exhausted. Why don't you try to get some sleep?" Grissom asked.

"Gil, it's almost Christmas Eve. I'd rather stay here now and get some stuff done so I can go home to Lindsey than have to stay here tomorrow."

"I'll make sure you get home to Lindsey. However, you've slept less than the rest of us, and you'll lose your effectiveness. Go get some rest, and I'll get you when we need help."

"Okay," Catherine sighed, "I'm going to take over the break room again. Call me when you get anything."

"Will do. I'm heading to sit in on the interrogation with our latest suspect."

Catherine nodded and Grissom left the break room to head for the interrogation room.

* * *


	25. Chapter 25

"Let's start out with a name," Brass spoke, looking at the man across the table.

"Jason Taylor," the man spoke, "but you know that already. You asked a million questions before at city hall."

"Would you mind actually answering them now?" Brass asked.

All Brass received was silence. "Mr. Taylor," Brass spoke, "would you like to explain what you were doing in a back alley with a freezer?"

"Listen to me, I had nothing to do with that! They sent me back out there to cover their tracks."

"They who?"

"One of the mayor's assistants."

"Could you identify this person?"

"No, I probably met whoever it is in the office, but I never met him in person to do business. Everything was done over the phone."

Brass sighed, and Grissom changed the direction of the conversation. "Mr. Taylor, why were you depositing sums of five-hundred thousand dollars a week into your account?" Grissom asked.

"How do you know about that?" Mr. Taylor revealed himself.

"It's my job. Where was the money coming from?"

"The mayor. The money was being wired directly to my account."

Grissom sighed, realizing that they weren't going to be able to follow a paper trail; a wire trail, yes, but it was easier to stay disguised that way. Brass regained control of the interrogation. "What was your job within this whole circus?" Brass asked.

"I was to keep track of that freezer in the alley and make sure no one got suspicious."

"You didn't think people were going to get suspicious of a freezer in an alley? What were you thinking?"

"There aren't many people setting foot in that alley. We hadn't had any problems until you stepped in."

"I guess I rained on your parade. What sort of involvement did you have with the plot to destroy the sheriff's career?"

"The only thing I had to do was make sure that no one found this freezer."

"What was the freezer being used for?"

"Storing bodies."

"Whose bodies?"

"The sheriff's, then Ecklie's, then Thompson's."

"Who is Thompson?"

"Elias Thompson. He's the guy who was posing as Ecklie. He was an idiot, posed a major threat to all of us."

"How?"

"He was raping and killing all of those women. When the police killed him, we had to clear everything up."

"And just how did that happen?"

"Someone was supposed to get the body from the funeral home and drop it in the freezer. I was supposed to watch over the freezer, check it each day to make sure the body was still in there and that nothing was disturbed."

"Why were you there when we got there?"

"I was told to go in and get the body."

"When?"

"Right after the mayor resigned."

"What were you supposed to do with it?"

"Keep it in my car until I received further instructions."

"What happened when you got there?"

"I opened the freezer and it was empty. They will kill me if they find out that I messed up."

"Do you have any idea what happened to the body?"

"No, no idea. Listen, I didn't kill nobody, I'm not going down for this!" Mr. Taylor yelled.

Grissom refrained from pointing out the implication of the man's double negative. "Calm down Mr. Taylor," Brass spoke, "can you tell us anything about the sheriff and Mr. Ecklie?"

"They killed the sheriff when something went wrong."

"Who killed him?"

"I don't know. All I know is that they set up the freezer after they killed the sheriff. That's when I was called out to start watching the freezer."

"When did they bring Ecklie in?"

"About two weeks later."

"When were the bodies removed from the freezer?"

"Four days ago."

Grissom looked at Brass, silently relaying that the timing would match up perfectly for moving the bodies from the freezer to the sheriff's house. "Did anyone ever visit you while you were at the freezer?" Brass asked.

"Mr. Brass, I told you that I didn't know who was giving me the orders. Plus, all I did was park, get out of my car, check the freezer, get back in my car, and leave. There wasn't ever any time where someone could have talked to me."

Brass nodded. "Why were you doing this? What was in it for you?"

"Five-hundred thousand a week is quite an incentive Mr. Brass. Plus, I would be guaranteed another four years of employment with the mayor."

"With five-hundred thousand a week you wouldn't need to work another day in your life. There has to be another reason."

"The man said he would dispose of me if I didn't agree to help. Seeing who's been gotten rid of already, I'm glad I didn't test that."

"No, you're just going to be in jail for a long time instead."

* * *

Grissom reentered the lab and tried to get the team together. "Greg, finish up what you're working on and meet me in trace," Grissom spoke, sticking his head into the DNA lab, and then continuing down the hall. 

Grissom walked into the trace lab and waited for Greg to enter. "Okay," Grissom spoke once Greg had entered the trace lab, "where do we stand right now?"

"There are only two people's prints on that freezer. Eric Miller's and your new suspect's," Nick spoke.

"The new suspect is Jason Taylor. He says it was his job to make sure no one messed with the freezer in the alley. He states that the sheriff's and Ecklie's bodies were in there until four days ago. He also says that he was sent to retrieve Ecklie's impersonator's body just after the mayor resigned, but it was already gone."

"Did he have any idea who Ecklie's impersonator was?" Warrick asked.

"Yes. He said that his name was Elias Thompson, and he confirms that they had no idea that he was raping and killing all of those women."

"We finished all of the prints Griss, that's all we've got for you," Nick stated.

"Greg, how are you doing with the samples from inside of the freezer?"

"I extracted DNA from the blood samples you had, and I was able to get a follicular tag off of the hair. It's running, but you know it's going to take time," Greg replied.

"Yes, Greg, I know. Nick, I want you to start looking into Elias Thompson and pull up everything you can find on him," Grissom instructed, "Warrick, Mr. Taylor says that his five-hundred thousand a month was being wired directly into his account. I want you to try and find out where the money was coming from."

Warrick and Nick left the room, and Greg stared at Grissom. "What do you want me to do?" Greg asked.

"Put a list together of all of the mayor's top employees. I want to know who else could have been involved in this, and I want to go question them all again."

Greg nodded, and he too left the room. Grissom decided to walk down to his office and see how Sara was doing.

* * *

When Grissom entered his office, he panicked when he didn't see Sara laying on the couch. "Sara?" Grissom called. 

"Over here," Sara called, waving her hand from behind his desk.

He walked over and found her leaning against the drawers of his desk. "What are you doing down there?" Grissom asked, reaching down to help her up.

Sara didn't take his hand. "I couldn't sleep," she spoke, "I thought I would sit down at your desk and organize my thoughts, but I got really dizzy, hit my head on your desk, and ended up here."

Grissom knelt down in front of her and felt the back of her head. "Well, that's some knot you have there. What was your plan, sit on the floor the rest of the night," Grissom joked, slightly annoyed that she hadn't called him.

"No, I was going to get up as soon as I felt strong enough," Sara defended herself.

"Come on," Grissom spoke, standing up and taking both of her hands, "I'll go slow, let's get you up."

Grissom carefully helped Sara get off of the floor and led her to the couch. "How's your head?" Grissom asked when he heard her moan and clutch her head.

"It'll be okay," she spoke, slowly taking her hand away from her head, "do you have something for me to do?"

"No, not really."

"Is there something I can help with? I just want to do something."

"Greg is working on a list of people who worked under the sheriff that might be involved in this."

"Alright, I'll go catch up with him and see what I can do."

Grissom took her hands in his before she could get up. "Sara, please take it easy. You know your body is in a whirlwind right now, and I just don't want you causing any more damage."

Sara squeezed his hands back. "I'm just going down to Greg. Believe me, I'm not going anywhere else."

Grissom smiled. "Maybe we'll be able to get out of here sometime soon if some of these leads pan out."

"That's what we've been saying for the past couple of days," Sara smiled.

Sara got up and made her way to the door. "Sara, if you have any problems, call me, please."

Sara turned around at his statement. "Sure Gil. Remember, that always goes both ways," Sara smiled and left the room.

Grissom shook his head and left to go meet with Brass again.

* * *


	26. Chapter 26

As soon as Warrick completed his search, he called Grissom. "Grissom," he picked up.

"Griss, I found out where the money was coming from."

"Where?"

"A Cindi Freeman. She's one of the mayor's secretaries."

"His secretary is fronting the money?" Grissom exclaimed.

"Griss, the account numbers lead back to his secretary, that's all I can tell you."

"Okay, thanks Warrick. I'll have Brass bring her in, you can join me for the interrogation."

"Alright Griss."

Warrick closed his phone and headed for the break room.

* * *

When Warrick entered the break room, everything was dark. He flipped the light on and went to pour himself a cup of coffee. He jumped when he heard a voice behind him. "Hey Warrick," Catherine spoke, sitting up on the couch. 

"Oh, Cath, I didn't see you there," Warrick said, turning around.

"Yeah, I was resting," she stretched her arms above her head, "anything new?"

"The money was coming from an account in one of the mayor's secretaries' names. They're bringing her in now."

Catherine nodded and stifled a yawn. She was about to reply when she was interrupted by the shrill of her cell phone. "Willows," she spoke.

"Cath, you better grab Warrick and get over to the mayor's house now," Brass commanded.

"What's going on?" Catherine asked, already getting up from the couch and motioning for Warrick to follow her.

"Shots fired," Brass spoke, "just get down here."

Catherine closed her phone, walking quickly down the hallway. "Warrick, we've got to get to the mayor's house," Catherine spoke.

Warrick held up his keys. "I'm driving Cath, I'll get us there faster."

Catherine nodded, and they both raced out of the lab.

* * *

Catherine gripped the handle of the door as Warrick sped down the road. He was going about eighty miles per hour, but he didn't notice, he was just concerned about getting to the scene as fast as possible. They had the windows down, trying to keep them awake at the late hour. Catherine screamed when a car crossed the center line of the road, into their lane, and Warrick was going too fast to avoid collision. He veered to the right, hopped the curve, and the opposing car crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle, spinning it clockwise. The car rolled once before coming to a complete stop, hood down, against a telephone pole. Onlookers were at Warrick's window in an instant. "Sir, an ambulance has been called, it'll be here in a minute," a man stated. 

Warrick winced as sharp pains went up his left leg. He looked to his right to see Catherine's head dangling, blood oozing out of her nose. "Help her," Warrick spoke.

"An ambulance is coming," the man repeated again.

A few minutes later, Warrick could hear sirens in the distance, help was coming closer. _Hold on Cath, just hold on._

_

* * *

_When the firefighters arrived, they extricated Warrick from the vehicle fairly easily. When it came to Catherine, they were very careful to brace her neck and ease her out of the vehicle. Once Catherine and Warrick were stabilized for transport, the two ambulances left for the hospital.

_

* * *

_

"Where the hell are they?" Brass asked Grissom.

"I don't know Jim, maybe they hit traffic. I can start processing without them."

Grissom was about to start processing when his cell phone rang. "Grissom," he picked up.

"Mr. Grissom, I wanted to inform you that two of your CSIs were just brought into the emergency room."

Grissom sighed and became extremely concerned, knowing that only two people had been out of the lab. "What happened?" he asked.

"Car accident, they were both just brought in. I figured you would know the right people to contact."

"Thank you," Grissom spoke, closing his phone.

"What's going on?" Brass asked.

"Apparently Warrick and Catherine got themselves into a car accident. I've got to get down to the hospital. I'm going to send Nick, Sara, and Greg back here."

Brass watched Grissom walk away and shook his head. _Could this situation possibly get any worse?_

_

* * *

_"Nick," Grissom spoke, calling him while driving to the hospital.

"What's up Griss?" Nick asked.

"Nick, get Sara and Greg and get down to the mayor's house, pronto."

"What's going on?"

"Brass will brief you when you get to the scene. Nick, I want you to drive, and I want you to drive carefully."

"Griss, I think I know how to drive."

"Warrick and Catherine landed themselves in the hospital trying to get to this scene. Drive carefully," Grissom said sternly.

"Okay Griss. Are they okay?"

"I don't know what's going on, I'm on my way now."

"Okay Griss, we'll take care of the scene."

Grissom closed his cell phone and continued the drive to the hospital.

* * *

"My name is Gil Grissom, and I'd like to find out the status of two of my CSIs, Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown," Grissom stated, approaching the nurses' desk in the emergency room of Desert Palm. 

"Mr. Grissom, if you would have a seat, I'll have a doctor come talk to you as soon as any news is available."

Grissom walked over to the nearby waiting room and sunk into a chair. _I can't believe this is happening. All they had to do was make it to the scene in one piece. I know it's not their fault, but this sure is horrible timing._

_

* * *

_"Mr. Brown, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked, examining his pupils.

"I'm fine," Warrick said, annoyed that he still didn't know what Catherine's condition was, "is Catherine Willows okay?"

"Mr. Brown, I'll tell you again, I don't know the status of Ms. Willows. If you would calm down and let me do my job, we may have you out of here a little quicker, and you can go see for yourself."

The doctor returned to examining Warrick's eyes. "I don't have a concussion," Warrick stated.

"I know, I just confirmed that," the doctor said, "now we're just waiting on the x-rays of your ankle."

"I'm sure I could walk on it," Warrick stated, trying to get up from the bed.

The doctor put a hand on his chest and forced him back to the bed. "You are not going anywhere," the doctor commanded, "calm down the testosterone and sit tight before you do any more damage."

"I want to know the status of Catherine Willows!" Warrick shouted.

"I'll be right back," the doctor resigned, going to try and find out what was going on within a similar curtain just down the hall.

_

* * *

_"What are we dealing with?" Nick asked once they had gotten to the scene.

Sara was standing beside him, and Greg was hidden right behind them. "A body," Brass stated to no one in particular.

* * *


	27. Chapter 27

"Do you see any problems with this scene Greg?" Sara asked, looking around the mayor's living room.

"Yeah," Greg answered, "there's no gun in the mayor's hand. That, plus the angles are all wrong for suicide."

"This isn't a suicide scene," Brass interrupted, "we've got his wife in police custody."

"What?" Nick stated.

"A neighbor called in hearing shots fired. We got here and his wife was sitting in that chair," Brass pointed, "she still had the gun in her hand."

"She saying what happened?" Sara asked.

"When we asked her about him she started spurting out streams of curses. Something tells me she found out about her husband's extramarital activities," Brass stated.

"Damn," Greg blurted, "we're never going to find out what went on with the conspiracy."

"One thing at a time Greg," Nick stated, "let's get this scene processed before we start jumping to any conclusions."

* * *

"Mr. Grissom," a doctor stated, entering the waiting room. 

"Yes," Grissom looked up, "how are they?"

"I can just tell you about Mr. Brown. He's got plenty of bruises, but the only major injury was a broken ankle. We're ready to release him now."

"Oh, is he coming out here then?"

"He wanted me to ask you if you could get some coveralls for him. His clothes were pretty messed up."

"Okay, I'll run out to my car and bring them back," Grissom stated, "you don't have any news at all about Ms. Willows?"

"No, I'm sorry Mr. Grissom. All I know is that her injuries were more severe than Mr. Brown's."

Grissom was slightly disappointed and extremely worried that there wasn't any news about Catherine. "Thank you doctor," Grissom stated.

Grissom went out to his car to get a pair of coveralls, and he brought them back into the emergency room. "Can you get these back to Mr. Brown?" Grissom asked a nurse at the desk.

"Sure Mr. Grissom. As soon as he gets changed he'll be out and you can talk to him," the nurse replied.

"Any news on Ms. Willows yet?" Grissom asked again after handing over the coveralls.

"I told you Mr. Grissom, a doctor will be out to talk to you as soon as there is news."

With a slight nod of his head, Grissom retreated to a chair in the waiting room once again.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Warrick emerged from the emergency room, propelling himself forward with crutches. He made his way over to where Grissom was sitting and plopped himself down next to him. "Have you heard anything about Cath?" Warrick huffed, angry that he still hadn't found out any news. 

"Warrick, they haven't told me anything yet either," Grissom stated, getting down to business, "where are your gun and badge?"

Warrick was momentarily startled by his question. "The nurse took everything and put it in a paper bag."

Grissom vacated his seat and went back to the nurses' desk. "I need Mr. Brown's belongings," Grissom stated.

"Would you like Ms. Willows' too?" the nurse asked.

"Yes."

The nurse handed over two paper bags, and Grissom walked back to his seat. "Warrick, you're suspended until further notice," Grissom spoke.

"Are you even going to ask what happened?" Warrick spat.

"Warrick, it doesn't matter, you'd be suspended either way."

"Wonderful Griss, you pick now to start being political."

"Warrick, I suggest you drop the subject."

"Griss, that's Cath in there. Do you even care that she is hurt?"

"You know something Warrick, I'm going to ignore that comment and say you're emotionally maxed out. What happened to cause the accident?"

Warrick took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "I was trying to get to the scene, and the other driver crossed into my lane. I veered right, the car hit me, we spun and flipped. Griss, she was unconscious, there was so much blood."

"How fast were you going?" Grissom asked, trying to stay objective.

"I don't know," Warrick replied, rubbing his temple, "I was just concerned with getting to the scene quickly. What happened anyway?"

"This isn't the place Warrick," Grissom stated, "you know there is going to be an investigation into the accident."

"Griss, I really don't want to talk about this right now, I just want to find out about Cath."

"Alright, but you're going to have to talk to Brass later and give him your statement. You can go home now."

Warrick looked at Grissom in shock. "You think I'm leaving with Cath in the condition she's in? You may be that way Griss, but there's no way in hell you're getting me out of here!"

Grissom sighed and leaned his head against the back of the chair. _He's only upset, I'm not a heartless person. I'm not, I really do care. I want to know how Catherine is doing._

Grissom pulled his cell phone off of his belt and called Brass. "Jim, I need you to send an officer to Desert Palm to pick up some evidence to bring back to the lab."

"Alright Gil, he'll be there in a little while."

"Thanks Jim, anything new with the scene?"

"No, nothing yet. I'll let you know if we find anything. How are Warrick and Cath?"

"Warrick has a broken ankle, and we haven't heard anything on Cath yet."

"Alright, keep me updated."

Grissom closed his cell phone and waited for news and an officer.

_

* * *

_After the officer took away the bags with Warrick's and Catherine's belongings, Warrick and Grissom sat in an uncomfortable silence. Three hours later, a doctor entered the waiting room. "Mr. Grissom, if you would come to my office, I'll tell you how Ms. Willows is doing," the doctor spoke.

Grissom glanced at Warrick, and Warrick nodded his head in understanding. Grissom followed the doctor to his office and sat in a chair across from his desk. "How is she?" Grissom asked.

"Mr. Grissom, you need to call her family and get them down here. Ms. Willows suffered some very serious injuries."

"How serious?"

"She has a grade three concussion. There is swelling pushing against her brain, and we administered medications to try and bring the swelling down. If this does not work, we are going to have to perform brain surgery to relieve the pressure. She has a broken nose, and she will need plastic surgery to realign it. Although we were not able to detect any fractures in her neck, we have reason to believe that she may have suffered some soft tissue damage. We're going to have to evaluate everything when she wakes up."

"What is her prognosis?"

"If we can keep the swelling down, and she regains consciousness, she should be able to fully recover. It's going to take time though. She is in the ICU right now, and I would like to have her family see her before anyone else."

"Okay doctor, I'll get a hold of her sister and have her come down."

Grissom accepted the doctor's information and made his way through the waiting room to exit the hospital. "Griss, where are you going?" Warrick asked as Grissom passed him.

"To call Catherine's sister," Grissom kept walking, "stay where you are."

Grissom walked outside and pulled out his cell phone. He called the lab to have a secretary look up Catherine's sister's phone number, and then dialed. After a few rings, Catherine's sister picked up. "Hello," she stated, her voice masked by sleep.

"Hello, my name is Gil Grissom, I am Catherine's boss at the crime lab," Grissom stated.

"Catherine should be at work, why are you calling at this hour?" she asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Catherine was in a car accident, and she's at Desert Palm now. The doctor says that her injuries are quite severe, and I thought you would want to know. She's in the ICU."

"I'll get Lindsey and be right down," Catherine's sister said, hanging up on Grissom.

Grissom looked at his cell phone, closed it, and reattached it to his belt. He walked back into the waiting room and stood in front of Warrick. "She's in the ICU, it's not good. They're trying to reduce the swelling on her brain."

Warrick placed his head in his hands. "Damn," he cursed, "can we see her?"

"No, not until her sister gets here with Lindsey. We can go up to the ICU waiting room though."

"Alright," Warrick mumbled, getting his crutches and moving toward the elevator.

Grissom followed close behind and went up to the ICU waiting room.

* * *

"Grissom," Lindsey called when she saw him in the waiting room. 

Grissom looked up when he heard her voice, and stood up when Lindsey ventured nearer. Catherine's sister took this chance to go speak with the doctor. "Is my mom okay?" Lindsey asked, previous tears evident on her face.

Grissom wasn't exactly sure what to say. "She's resting right now, she hit her head pretty hard."

Lindsey nodded and seemed to process the information. Lindsey hesitated, but wrapped her arms around Grissom. "I need my mom to be okay," Lindsey spoke into his chest, tears streaming down her face once again.

Grissom was shocked that Lindsey was trying to find comfort in him. Grissom rubbed his hand up and down her back. "She's going to be okay," he whispered, trying to console her, "she's going to be okay."

Lindsey nodded and pulled away from Grissom. "Where did my aunt go?" Lindsey asked.

"I think she went to go talk to the doctor," Warrick spoke.

Lindsey nodded and sat down next to Warrick. Grissom sat on the other side of Lindsey. "What happened to you?" Lindsey asked Warrick.

"I was driving," Warrick stated.

"Oh," Lindsey said, "you've only got a broken ankle."

"I know Linds," Warrick replied, taking her hand, "I can't tell you why things happen the way they do. I just hope your mother is okay."

Warrick squeezed Lindsey's hand and a sad smile appeared on her face. Catherine's sister came back down the hallway and appeared in the waiting room. "We can go see your mother Linds," she spoke, setting a hand on her head.

Lindsey got up from the chair and followed her aunt down the hall. "The doctor said that there is a lot of bruising, and that there are a lot of tubes attached to your mom. He didn't want you to be frightened."

"That wouldn't scare me," Lindsey said coldly, "her dying would."

"Lindsey!" Catherine's sister exclaimed, "You don't have to talk like that!"

"I just want to see her," Lindsey said, "I want her to be okay."

They continued down the hallway in silence, and entered Catherine's room.

* * *

Lindsey's eyes widened when she saw her mother's sleeping form. Bruises covered her extremely pale face, and a brace was around her neck. A ventilator protruded from Catherine's mouth, pumping air into her lungs at a steady interval. Lindsey walked over to her mother's side and grabbed her hand. "I love you mom," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes once again. 

"Lindsey, she's going to be okay," her aunt stated.

"You don't know that," Lindsey replied.

"No, I don't, but I can hope."

Catherine's sister crossed to the other side of the bed and grasped Catherine's other hand. "You've got to be strong Cath," she spoke, "just concentrate on getting better."

After spending a few more minutes with her, Lindsey and her aunt returned to the waiting room.

"The two of you can go see Catherine," Catherine's sister told Grissom and Warrick.

They nodded and made their way down the hall.

* * *

"Oh my gosh," Warrick exclaimed, seeing how bruised Catherine's face was. 

Grissom spent a few minutes taking in Catherine's condition, and he decided to leave Warrick alone with Catherine. He squeezed Catherine's hand one more time and turned to leave. "Warrick, take a few more minutes with her," Grissom stated, "I have to get back to the lab to work on the case."

Warrick nodded in understanding. "I'm going to stay here for a while. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"Warrick, it could be days. Make sure you get home to get some sleep."

"I know Griss, I'm just going to be here for now."

Grissom nodded and left the room. Warrick rubbed the back of Catherine's hand and brought it up to his lips. "We're waiting for you to wake up Cath," he spoke, "Lindsey and your sister are here, and we're all waiting to see your beautiful eyes."

Warrick returned her hand to her side, spent a few more minutes with her, and returned to the waiting room. _What have I done?_

* * *

When Grissom got back to the lab, Sara, Nick, and Greg hadn't returned yet. Grissom pulled his cell phone off of his belt and called Sara. "Sidle," she picked up. 

"Sara, what's going on at the scene?" he asked.

"We're almost done processing. From all of the evidence that we have, we've determined that the mayor's wife killed him in a fit of rage."

"Anything that will connect him to the conspiracy?"

"Nope. This place is clean."

"Wonderful, we hit a dead end."

"Well, we still have what we found before back at the lab. That probably won't get us anywhere either, but we can try."

"True. Is Brass still at the scene?"

"No, we just have two officers. He said he was going back to talk to the mayor's wife."

"Okay, I'll catch him here then."

"How are Cath and Warrick?" Sara asked, concerned for her friends and coworkers.

"Warrick has a broken ankle, and Cath isn't doing so well."

"What are her injuries?"

"Severe concussion with swelling pushing against her brain. Her neck's in a brace, and she's on a ventilator."

"Wow, it's that bad," Sara stated, "have you seen her?"

"Yeah, she doesn't look good. Warrick is still at the hospital with her sister and Lindsey."

"Griss, do you think we can all get out of here at the end of shift?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, I'm sending everyone home to get some rest. Just a couple more hours. I'll talk to you and the guys when you get back to the lab."

"Okay, Gil, I'll talk to you later."

Grissom closed his cell phone and went on his way to find Brass.

* * *


	28. Chapter 28

"What were you doing at the scene?" Brass asked.

"That was my house too," the mayor's wife spoke.

"Why were you holding the murder weapon?"

"Because I had just shot my husband," she responded coldly.

"Do you realize that that is murder?"

"Yeah, but I didn't have much of a life to live anyway."

"I advise you not to answer any more questions," her attorney suggested.

"I don't care what happens to me," she yelled, "would you get out of here, I don't want to be paying you anything!"

The attorney left the room, and Brass continued on. "Why did you kill your husband?" Brass asked.

"Have you not watched the news? My husband was having affairs with God knows how many women. That plus the fact that he was involved in this whole mess with the sheriff."

"Do you have any evidence to back up the fact that he participated in the conspiracy?"

"No, but it's obvious he did something."

"Why kill your husband instead of reconciling?"

"Did my husband appear to be the reconcilable type? This has been going on for years, I finally put an end to it. Sentence me and put me in jail, I really don't care anymore."

Deciding the interrogation was over, Brass and Grissom exited the room. "Quite a cheery woman," Brass deadpanned.

"Yeah," Grissom replied, "do you still have the mayor's secretary in custody?"

"Yeah, we just haven't questioned her yet. The homicide was slightly more pertinent."

"Let's go talk to her now, I want to see if we can get any more information."

Brass nodded, and they headed to get the secretary from lockup.

* * *

"Warrick, you really should go home," Catherine's sister stated. 

"No, I want to be here when she wakes up," Warrick replied.

"Warrick, it could be days, you know that. Go home and get some sleep."

Warrick looked to the left where Lindsey was leaning against his shoulder. She had finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. "I don't want to wake her," Warrick gestured, "and you shouldn't have to wait here by yourself. I want to be here if they have more news or if she wakes up."

Catherine's sister nodded. "You're going to need to get some sleep sometime, so if you don't go now, you've got to go in a little while."

"Yes mother," Warrick gave her a small smile, "I'll wait until the morning to see if the doctor has anything new to report. Then I'll head home to catch a few hours sleep."

They silently agreed, and Warrick tried to get comfortable in his chair once again.

* * *

When Nick, Greg, and Sara got back to the lab, Nick went into the break room, Greg went to the trace lab, and Sara walked down to Grissom's office. Nick pulled his cell phone off of his belt and speed dialed Grissom. "Grissom," he picked up. 

"Griss, I wanted to tell you that we just got back from the scene. We've got the evidence to convict the mayor's wife, but we didn't find anything to connect the mayor to any of the other crimes."

"Yeah, that's what Sara was referring to before. Brass and I finished talking to his wife, and she admits that she killed her husband. She said that she found out about his infidelities and gave him what he deserved."

"Well, that gets rid of another person to talk to," Nick stated, "there aren't very many leads left."

"I know, we're going to talk to his secretary, but then all of the leads are pretty much exhausted."

"I turned up an address for Elias Thompson. We can still check that out."

"Not this shift. When this shift ends everyone is going home."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about Griss. Sara might tell you that she is okay, and she's handling everything well, but she didn't look so good out at the scene. She's pretty pale, and she looks like she's about to drop from exhaustion. Plus, her wrist is really bothering her, and she can't take anything for it."

_I told her to call me and tell me if she wasn't feeling well, and she didn't. I shouldn't be surprised, that's typical Sara style. _Grissom looked at his watch and noted there were only about two hours left of shift. "Nick, please take Sara home, and then you can go home. Tell her that I'll be there at the end of shift."

"She's going to want to see Cath."

Grissom sighed. "Nick, if she really doesn't feel well, she shouldn't be going to see Cath, it's just going to make her upset. However, she'll be just as bad if she doesn't see her. Take a swing by the hospital before you take her home."

"Okay Griss, thanks."

"Nick," Grissom stated, "please drive carefully."

Nick closed his cell phone and went to find Sara.

* * *

"Sara," Nick spoke, walking into Grissom's office. 

Sara was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, trying to calm her queasy stomach. "What Nick?" Sara said, not looking up.

"I'm taking you home," Nick stated, sitting next to her on the couch.

"Nick, there's still two hours left of shift."

"Not for us. Griss told me to take you home and then go home."

"Wonderful, he thinks I can't do my job."

"No, there isn't anything to work with right now. We've hit a whole bunch of dead ends, and all of us have been working entirely too long. He just wants me to make sure you get home safely."

Sara sat up and squeezed Nick's hand. "Can we go see Cath?" Sara asked.

Nick smiled. "I knew you were going to ask that. Griss said it would be fine as long as I took you straight home afterward."

"And when did Griss say he was coming home?"

"When shift is done. He and Brass have another suspect to talk to."

Sara nodded and got up from the couch. "Okay, let's get going."

Sara and Nick left the lab and headed toward Desert Palm.

* * *

"Ms. Freeman, why were you transferring five-hundred thousand dollars a week to Jason Taylor?" Brass asked. 

"What?" Ms. Freeman exclaimed, "I wasn't transferring money to anyone."

"This account statement says you were," Brass pushed the statement in front of her.

"This isn't me," Ms. Freeman stated, "my name is Cindy with a y, not Cindi with an i. I think you are mistaken."

Brass looked at Grissom and shook his head. "Mr. Brass," Ms. Freeman continued, "I have only been working for the mayor for about eight months. He didn't like me, but he wouldn't get rid of me. The only reason I didn't quit was because I needed a steady paycheck."

"Do you know Jason Taylor?"

"I know that he worked for the mayor, but that's all I know about him. It's not like I ever talked to him or anything."

"Thank you Ms. Freeman, we will be releasing you soon," Brass stated.

Brass and Grissom exited the room. "Someone set up the account in her name to try and disguise the activity. With her working there, they would have had all of her personal information, and it wouldn't have been hard to set up an account in her name," Brass said.

"Yeah. They made a mistake, but we can't connect it to anyone now. The people we have in custody don't know, and the people who aren't aren't talking. Plus, the one man that could have told us everything is now dead. The only lead we have left is to check Elias Thompson's house. If there's nothing there, this case is cold," Grissom stated.

"And that can all wait until next shift. It's Christmas Eve, I'd like to get home."

Grissom nodded and headed back to his office.

* * *

When Nick and Sara entered the ICU, they found Warrick and Lindsey in the waiting room. "Hey," Warrick spoke, seeing the two walk in. 

"Hey. We just stopped by to see how Cath is doing," Nick stated.

"You can go see her," Warrick said, "she's still unconscious though. Cath's sister just stepped out, I'll tell her you're here."

"Is there anything new?" Sara asked.

"No, the doctor hasn't come back to speak with us yet."

Nick nodded and led Sara down the hallway to Catherine's room. They entered and sat on either side of her bed. "Everyone's worried about you Cath," Sara spoke, "we all want you to wake up and get better."

"Yeah, Warrick's going crazy out there in the waiting room. We just want to see you wake up."

After spending a few minutes with Catherine, they walked back out to the waiting room, said goodbye to Warrick, and headed for Sara's house.

* * *

When Grissom arrived home, all was quiet. It didn't take long for him to find Sara in the bedroom, fast asleep under the covers. Grissom got undressed and slid into bed next to her. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. Before he fell asleep, his eyes drifted to the dresser drawer where his gifts were enclosed. _Some Christmas this is going to be, there's no way I can give her those. Maybe we can just spend some time together. Everything is a disaster.  
_

_

* * *

_


	29. Chapter 29

When Sara turned over in bed, she found Grissom laying next to her, watching her. "Hey sleepyhead," Grissom spoke, brushing a few hairs away from her face.

"It can't be that late," Sara yawned.

"No, it isn't," Grissom spoke, "it's just after eleven."

Sara nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "How long have you been up?"

"Just for a little while. I was enjoying the view."

Sara smiled and kissed his neck. Grissom returned a few kisses, and their actions quickly escalated. When Grissom started to tug on her pajama bottoms, Sara grabbed his wrist. "Gil, I can't," she whispered, trying not to hurt his feelings.

Grissom looked at her with questioning eyes. "I've got too much on my mind," Sara stated.

Grissom rolled off of her and stared at the ceiling. "I need to go take a shower," Grissom spoke, vacating the bed.

"Gil, I'd like to talk when you're done," Sara called to his retreating form.

"Sure honey," he said, turning around, "just give me a few minutes."

Sara nodded, and Grissom retreated to the bathroom.

* * *

"Warrick, you need to go home," Catherine's sister stated after waking him up. 

"Where's Lindsey?" Warrick asked, noticing her absence.

"She went to use the restroom. Warrick, you need to go home and get some rest."

Warrick sighed and nodded. "Do you want me to take Lindsey?" he asked.

"You don't need to, I'm sure she'll be fine here with me."

Lindsey returned to the waiting room and groaned. "I want to go home," she stated, hands on her hips.

Warrick looked to Catherine's sister, and she nodded. "Linds, we can swing by your house so you can pick up some clothes, and then we can go to my house," Warrick spoke.

Lindsey shuddered. "Warrick, I just want to go home," Lindsey pleaded.

Warrick gave in, knowing she was emotionally exhausted. "Okay Linds, let's go then," Warrick said, standing and getting his crutches.

After preparing to leave, Warrick turned to Catherine's sister. "We'll be back in a couple of hours," Warrick stated, "you have my cell phone number, call me with any news."

Catherine's sister nodded. "Take your time Warrick, you're injured too," she turned to Lindsey, "you'll be okay Linds?"

"Yeah, I just want to go home," Lindsey replied.

Catherine's sister nodded, and the two left the hospital.

* * *

When Grissom emerged from the bathroom, Sara was missing from the bedroom. He headed out to the living room and eventually found her in the kitchen. She stood stark still, facing the coffeemaker. Grissom ran a comforting hand down her back, wanting to let her know that he was there for her, but also wanting to give her some space. Sara momentarily stiffened, but her body quickly relaxed. "Gil, this is so hard," Sara spoke, still not turning around. 

Sara wrapped her arms around herself, and her body slightly shuddered. Grissom touched her shoulder as if asking permission to hold her, and at her nod, he pulled her to his chest. Sara turned in his embrace and rested her head against his chest. "I'm sorry Gil," Sara spoke, "this time of the year is supposed to be a happy time, a joyous time. I just can't."

"You can't what?" Grissom tried to gain some insight into what was bothering her.

"Someone decided to go and mess with our lives because they thought it would be a good political move. I can't even begin to understand the reasoning behind that. Worse, we can't even catch all of the people involved, the case will never be solved. I can't sleep without being bombarded with the images of that cell and what he did to me. It was bad enough thinking it was Ecklie, but I had somehow reasoned that he found something in me that he hated. But now, knowing it was just some stranger, why did he want me? What did I do for him to want me?"

Grissom felt his pulse rapidly rising, emotionally reliving Sara's kidnapping. Grissom ran his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her while she cried. "Sara, you didn't do anything wrong," Grissom stated, struggling to control his emotions, "you know that sexual predators act on a fixation. Their victims don't have to do anything to provoke them."

"I am not a victim," Sara stated coldly, trying to maintain some grasp on the situation.

"Sara, thank God you weren't raped, but you were victimized by that man. What you had to endure was pure torture. You cannot trivialize that fact."

Sara suddenly pushed away from his chest and backed herself into the junction of the kitchen cabinets. "Sara, I just want to help you," Grissom spoke, trying to calm her down.

"I could feel his hands all over my body again," Sara whimpered, "everything is just so messed up right now."

Sara sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs. She had herself backed into the corner, and her body shook with tears. "I told myself this wouldn't happen again," Sara sobbed, "I guess I'm not as resilient as I thought."

Grissom's eyes widened with the new information, but he knew he had to pull Sara out of the black hole before she could be engulfed. Hoping she wouldn't shy away from him, Grissom pulled Sara to her feet and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. "Sara, you are the strongest person I know. I know you are hurting right now, but I can't let you blame yourself. I love and need you too much to let you succumb to that beast."

Sara rested her head on his chest and drew strength from him. "Gil, I hate not being in control. I can't fix this, there is no justice."

"Sara, the police shot him, there is no way he can hurt you anymore."

"He still does hurt me," Sara corrected, "with each new piece of information, the vice cranks a little tighter."

"Is there a way to loosen the vice?"

"I need to tell you about something that happened a long time ago," Sara stated, trying to dry her tears.

"You know you have my support in everything Sara," Grissom stated, kissing the top of her head.

Sara pulled slightly away from him. "I need to sit down Gil," Sara quietly spoke.

Grissom nodded, and with his arm wrapped around her for support, he led her to the couch in the living room.

* * *

"Lindsey, can I do anything for you?" Warrick asked after she had let them both into the house. 

"No, I just want to go lay down. You know where the kitchen is if you want something to eat, and you're welcome to the guest room."

"I'm just going to take the couch," Warrick stated, "try to get some rest, and we'll go back to see your mom in a little while."

Lindsey nodded and disappeared into her bedroom. Warrick attempted to get comfortable on the couch and eventually settled into a semi-comfortable position. _I don't know what I'll do if she's not okay. She certainly doesn't deserve this. Plus, it's all my fault. How could I make such a big mistake?_

_

* * *

_Grissom sat to the left of Sara on the couch and wrapped his right arm around her waist. He didn't want her to think he was pushing, so they sat in silence until she spoke. "Gil, I'm sorry I've never told you this, but it's just one of those things I've tried to keep out of my mind."

Grissom rubbed Sara's back and tried to reassure her. "Sara, we're here to support each other. I can't help you if I don't know what is bothering you."

"Well, right now, a lot of things," Sara gave him a small smile, "but I really do have to tell you something."

Sara took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare herself for her revelation. "When I was young, there were always a lot of problems between my parents. While I could write a book on that subject, I'm not going into that now. That isn't important anymore. I ended up in the foster care system when I was thirteen. In a lot of ways, the houses I was put into were worse than being with my parents."

"We both know about some of the problems that can be encountered in foster care," Grissom spoke, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Sara reached for his hand and held it between her hands. "If that was all Gil, this wouldn't still be bothering me," Sara sighed, "within one of the families I was staying with, the father drank a lot, and he became a mean, abusive drunk. One night when I was sleeping I felt something heavy on top of me. When I opened my eyes, he had me pinned to the bed, and he was looming over me."

Sara's body shook slightly, but her eyes remained dry. "He raped me, and I couldn't do anything about it. By the time I finally got myself out of that house, there wasn't any evidence left to process."

Grissom stayed silent with his arm wrapped around her until he could think of an appropriate response. "No one deserves to endure that Sara."

"I know. I worked myself through those troubles a long time ago, and there's just a sliver of that moment left in my mind. It hurts so much when I can't give someone closure, when I can't help achieve the justice that someone deserves."

"That's why every time you work a rape case, you max yourself out on overtime and practically burn out," Grissom stated, not really directing his interpretation toward Sara.

"I can't help but think that if I brought a child into this world, he/she might be subject to such predators."

Grissom's mind went into overdrive. _Too many things are going through her mind. With everything going on, she's falling apart, how did I not see this sooner? I just need to help her. _"Sara, if we decide to have a child, I am positive that he/she would have our unconditional love."

"Sometimes that isn't enough," she said airily.

"Sara, we bring criminals to justice on a daily basis. We are helping to protect society from those criminals, that's all we can do."

Sara's focus shifted once again. "Gil, we both realize that there are certain dangers associated with our jobs. I wouldn't want to leave a child parentless."

Grissom wanted to tell Sara that Catherine was going to be okay, but he realized he couldn't even convince himself of that fact. "Sara, hopefully that will never happen. I seem to recall you saying that we can't worry ourselves with what ifs."

Sara shifted down on the couch and laid her head in Grissom's lap. "I really need to calm down and chill out," Sara spoke, slowly exhaling.

While Sara stared at the ceiling, Grissom ran his fingers through her hair. "I want to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas Eve," Grissom spoke, trying to change the subject.

Sara let out a slight laugh. "When it starts getting merry, you let me know," Sara joked.

Grissom smiled and leaned down to kiss her lips. "We've got a while until shift starts, we can do anything you want honey."

"We don't have to go now, but can we go see Cath before shift starts? I'm really worried about her."

"Sure, we can go on our way to the lab. Before then, is there anything that you want to do?"

"Can we just have a nice, quiet lunch together?"

"Sure honey. How does your stomach feel?" Grissom asked, brushing his hand across her midsection.

"Okay, it's pretty calm for now. I'm in the mood for some of your heavenly pancakes."

Grissom smiled and pulled her up so she was sitting next to him. "Do you want to help?" he questioned.

"Sure, that'll give me something to do."

They both got up from the couch and walked slowly out to the kitchen.

* * *

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, Nick called Warrick. "Brown," he picked up, his state of exhaustion evident in his voice. 

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Nick asked.

"I wish you had. I haven't been able to get much sleep."

"Oh, you're home?"

"No, I'm at Cath's house with Linds. I told Cath's sister that we would be back in a couple of hours."

"Was there any change Warrick?"

"No, Cath's sister was still waiting to hear from the doctor again. They're supposed to evaluate the progression of the swelling."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, I'm not really a religious guy, but I've been praying."

"So have the rest of us," Nick stated, "is there anything I can do to help you?"

"I'm not the one who needs help Nick. If Catherine's okay, I'll be okay. Until then, I've just got to be there for her."

"Alright, I'm going to stop by before shift and check in on her," Nick stated.

"Okay, I'll see you then. I'm going to head back within the hour."

Warrick closed his cell phone and draped his arm across his eyes. _This is exhausting. I haven't even talked to the board yet. I know I'm going to have to answer questions about the accident, and I don't like the answers._

_

* * *

_When Sara finished her pancakes, she walked around the table and pulled up a chair next to Grissom. She leaned against him while he finished eating. "You okay?" he asked, resting his hand on her knee.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Again?" he joked.

Sara smiled. "The voices in my head never quit."

"And if I didn't love you so much, I'd think you were insane," Grissom spoke, smiling and briefly kissing her cheek.

"Gil, I want to have children," Sara spoke.

"I know that honey, we've talked about this before," Grissom spoke, patting her knee, "I want to have children also."

"With all of this mess, this is definitely not the right time. However, I think after we get married would be a good time to start trying."

"Oh, we've been trying," Grissom said with a twinkle in his eye, "just remove one part of the equation, and we could be in business."

Sara chuckled and poked his side. "Having children is not a business," Sara pointed out.

"I know," Grissom said, tickling her side, "I was just pointing out something."

"What do you think?" Sara asked.

"I think that any time you are ready is a good time," Grissom said, lightly kissing her lips.

"Our wedding night then," Sara stated, "until then, we can get in plenty of practice."

Sara slid over into Grissom's lap and started trailing kisses across his jaw line. Grissom redirected her lips to his, and their kisses quickly deepened as their hands wandered. "Gil, do we have time for this?" Sara asked in between kisses.

"We're making time," Grissom replied.

Grissom lifted her off of his lap and carried her to the bedroom.

* * *

"Any news?" Warrick asked Catherine's sister when he returned to the ICU with Lindsey. 

"The doctor said that the swelling has gone down, and he is confident that if she wakes up, she will be able to make a full recovery."

"That's good news," Lindsey stated, "I'm going to go see her."

Lindsey started to walk down the hallway, and Warrick followed close behind her.

* * *

Although Warrick thought Catherine looked just as bad as she had earlier, he found solace in the news that she was getting better. Lindsey sat in a chair on one side of the bed grasping Catherine's hand, and Warrick sat in a chair on the opposite side. "Cath, we're waiting for you to wake up," Warrick stated, brushing the back of her hand with his thumb, "everyone wants you to gather enough strength to open your eyes." 

"Mom," Lindsey spoke, "it's Christmas Eve. Every year we've been home, celebrating Christmas together. I know you can't be home, but I'd at least like to be able to talk to you."

Warrick crossed to the other side of the bed to put his hands on Lindsey's shoulders. "She'll be okay Linds," Warrick reassured her, "you heard what your aunt said."

"Yeah, I would just feel a lot better if I was able to talk to her."

Warrick and Lindsey spent some more time with Catherine and tried to coax her back to consciousness. Even though their efforts didn't receive a reward, they felt better knowing that Catherine had a chance of pulling through.

* * *

After Grissom and Sara showered and changed for work, they headed for the hospital. "I should talk about my problems more often," Sara joked, resting her hand on Grissom's knee. 

Sara could see a light blush tint Grissom's cheeks. "I can't say that I'm complaining about the results," Grissom joked back.

Sara smiled and squeezed his thigh just above his knee. "You helped me get a lot off of my chest. Thanks," she said sincerely.

"Well, I hope you didn't take too much off," Grissom said facetiously.

Sara pinched his thigh and smiled. "Seriously Gil, I feel a lot better now."

"Well, that's good," Grissom said, removing her hand from his knee and squeezing it, "I've always got ears when you want to talk."

"I really should have told you sooner."

"You told me when you were ready. I wasn't going to push you Sara, you need to do things in your own way."

"Thanks," Sara spoke, "it really doesn't bother me that much now, I just felt that I needed to explain why I was acting so odd."

"You haven't been acting odd Sara. Remember, you're human too. None of us can escape our past, and there's no use running. Sometimes you just need to talk about things so they don't eat you alive."

"You're right," Sara squeezed his hand, "I just think that with everything that's been going on, I kept pushing the thoughts back, and they kept resurfacing. It's really not something I like to talk about."

"I understand Sara," Grissom said, squeezing her hand back, "the case just started to push into our personal lives, and then it pretty much became our lives. It would have been hard enough for anyone do deal with without any excess baggage."

Sara nodded and returned her hand to his thigh again. "I just wanted to make sure you understood how beneficial it was to talk things out."

Grissom smiled and covered her hand with his. "We all need an occasional chat to sort our lives back in order. We've just had to have a few more than usual lately. Sara, when you need to talk, find me, I'm available to you twenty-four seven."

Sara smiled. "Almost twenty-four seven. You forgot to factor in the chaos involved in our lives. There always that .1 percent of the time that you wouldn't be reachable."

Grissom huffed and patted the top of her hand. "Thanks for poking holes in my statement."

"You know not to make generalizations," Sara stated.

Grissom smiled and held her hand in his. "I'm here for you, that's all that matters."

"And I'm here for you," Sara spoke, "thanks for catching me before I fell."

"That's my job," Grissom spoke, "I don't need any more thanks. I'm just glad that you're okay."

Sara nodded, and they continued the rest of the drive in comfortable silence. Once Grissom pulled into the hospital, he and Sara walked into the building together.

* * *

Sara and Grissom both stood by Catherine's side and talked to her. "Cath, I need your help planning my wedding," Sara spoke, "you've got to wake up so you can start picking things out. I don't want to think about what the place would look like if I picked out everything." 

Grissom smiled at Sara's choice of words. "Cath, I know you hate the line "the lab needs you," but we do. Every single one of us need you for different reasons, and we would like to be able to talk to you again."

Once they were satisfied with providing words of encouragement, Grissom and Sara left Catherine's room and headed back to the waiting room. "Hey Griss," Nick spoke when he appeared in the doorway, "hi Sara."

The two of them filed into the room and sat in the nearby chairs. "Hi Nick," Grissom spoke, and then directed his attention to Warrick and Catherine's sister, "what's the latest news?"

"The swelling significantly reduced. The doctors are confident she will pull through if she wakes up. They said that it could take any amount of time, but it's better if she wakes up within the next couple of days," Warrick stated.

"She'll pull through," Sara stated, "Catherine's too much of a fighter to give up now."

Small smiles filled the room as they all related to that statement. "How are all of you?" Grissom asked, looking around the room.

"I'm alright," Warrick stated, "all I really care about right now is Cath. I just want to see her wake up."

"Well, that's what we all want," Sara stated.

Grissom looked at Catherine's sister, and she nodded her head. "I'm holding in there," Catherine's sister stated, "I'm praying just like everyone else is."

Grissom nodded. "Lindsey, can we do anything for you?" Nick asked.

"Have my mom wake up for Christmas," she stated, "I don't care about anything else."

They all looked at her, trying to find the best way to help her. She felt their gazes, and tried to direct their thoughts away from her. "Don't even think of trying to do anything for me. I'm twelve, I know Santa doesn't exist, and I'm not going to like it if you start acting foolishly just because you're trying to make me feel better. Just pray for my mom and leave it at that."

"Did someone leave you alone with the dictionary again?" Nick joked, trying to make everyone feel comfortable again.

Lindsey tried to shoot Nick a cold glare, but a smile quickly cracked through the facade. Everyone laughed, and they felt more comfortable with each other once again. "Has Greg been by?" Grissom asked.

"No, I haven't seen him," Warrick stated, "it kind of surprised me actually."

"He was here while you were gone," Catherine's sister interjected.

"Oh, okay," Warrick said.

"Well, we better be heading to the lab," Grissom spoke for Sara and himself, "please give us a call if anything changes."

Warrick and Catherine's sister nodded. "Nick, we'll see you at the lab," Grissom stated.

"Yes, I want to go see Cath first, and then I'll be leaving," Nick replied.

"Okay," Grissom spoke, "I'll see you in a little while."

Sara said her goodbyes and followed Grissom out of the waiting room. They exited the hospital and headed for the lab, confident that Catherine would pull through.

* * *


	30. Chapter 30

Once Grissom had his diminished team in the break room, he took a quick glance around the room. "Before I hand out assignments, I have to talk to the three of you," Grissom spoke.

They waited for him to speak, not really knowing what was on his mind. "When you drive to a scene, you are to go the speed limit or under. If it is important you get there quickly, turn on the flashers. Dead bodies can wait, there is no use getting yourselves killed to get to the scene slightly faster."

Grissom stared at each one of them to make sure his point sunk in. Following his short statement, he started handing out assignments. "We have to cut back our concentration on the conspiracy case. Greg, you're coming with me to check out Elias Thompson's house. Sara, Nick, you've got a B&E. We're cut short right now with both Warrick and Catherine out, but we can manage. Please drive carefully," Grissom spoke, addressing the team in the break room.

The four of them left the break room and headed to their separate scenes.

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Nick asked Sara while driving to the scene. 

"Yes, much better. I finally got the chance to just relax for a little while, and Griss and I had a nice lunch together," Sara replied.

"That's good," Nick spoke.

"Yeah, I think we both just needed the time to talk to each other."

Nick nodded. "What do you think will happen with Warrick?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, day shift is investigating the accident. They're trying to determine what happened."

"Oh, well, I suppose whatever evidence they find will determine what happens. Why, did Warrick do something wrong?"

"No, I don't think so, I was just thinking about everything. Griss seemed all business before, like Warrick had done something to cause the accident."

"Griss is just concerned. He doesn't want anything else to happen to anyone on the team."

"Yeah, I guess so. I sure hope Cath wakes up soon, her condition is making everyone crazy."

"Yeah, it's horrible for everyone to be sitting in the hospital on Christmas Eve, hoping that she'll open her eyes."

"Maybe we can all go back after shift, be there for Christmas morning."

"That would be a good idea."

Sara and Nick continued the rest of their drive in silence.

* * *

"There is absolutely nothing here," Greg spoke after searching for any clues that would connect Elias Thompson to the conspiracy. 

"Everything was cleaned up," Grissom spoke, "there aren't any prints anywhere. Someone else involved must have come back here and cleared up any trace of inhabitance."

"Yeah, it has been a while," Greg spoke, referring to Elias Thompson's death.

"Let's go back to the lab and get all of the paperwork finished up with this. There is enough evidence to connect Robert Lancaster, Eric Miller, and Jason Taylor. Your DNA results will give us more of an idea of what actually happened. Apart from that, with the mayor dead, we have nothing to go on."

"It's cold."

"Yes, another one to tack to the board. Let's get back to the lab."

Greg nodded, and the two of them headed to the car to leave the premises.

* * *

Around eleven thirty at night, a nurse ventured out into the waiting room where Catherine's sister and Warrick were still awake. Although it appeared that Lindsey was sleeping against Warrick's shoulder, she too was awake. "It appears that Ms. Willows might be close to waking up. The doctor wanted to let you know so you could go sit with her." 

They thanked the nurse and walked down to Catherine's room.

* * *

Grissom had just gotten back to his office when his phone rang. "Grissom," he answered. 

"Dr. Grissom, I wanted to let you know that we have completed a preliminary investigation into the accident that two of your CSIs were involved in," the day shift supervisor spoke.

"What are your conclusions?"

"The driver that crossed into their lane caused the accident, but evaluation of the skid marks from the department vehicle show that it was traveling at a speed of about eighty miles per hour."

_Warrick was driving that fast? Was he trying to get the two of them killed? _"I am recommending punitive action against Warrick Brown," the day shift supervisor spoke, "although he did not cause the accident, the car probably would not have flipped, and Ms. Willows' injuries may not have been as severe if he had been going the speed limit."

"What kind of punitive action?"

"A week's suspension without pay, and a letter of reprimand in his file. Any other punishment is up to your discretion, for you need to make it clear that this sort of incident should not happen again. I will be presenting my findings to the board, and I will let them know that you are taking the appropriate actions."

"Thank you," Grissom spoke before hanging up the phone.

Grissom leaned back in his desk chair and tried to control his anger before going to talk to Warrick. _Wonderful decision he made. Went eighty to get to a scene and almost killed his coworker in the process. This sure as hell is not happening again. He's lucky they didn't try to fire him._

* * *

When Warrick, Lindsey, and Catherine's sister entered the room, Catherine still looked the same. However, when they ventured closer, they could see that the fingers on her right hand were moving slightly. Lindsey grabbed a hold of her hand and started talking to her. "Mom, we're here for you, and we're waiting for you to wake up. It's almost Christmas mom, you have to wake up." 

The three of them tried to coax Catherine back to consciousness, and they were delighted when her eyes started to open about an hour later. A doctor was standing by so he could evaluate her condition. Lindsey smiled when Catherine squeezed her hand. Catherine's eyes darted around the room, and she began to fight the tube in her throat. "Cath, don't," her sister spoke, resting her hand on Catherine's arm, "it's helping you to breathe."

The doctor ventured closer to the bed so Catherine could see him. "Ms. Willows, don't fight the ventilator. If all goes well, we should be able to get that tube out of your throat within the hour."

Catherine's left hand reached upward toward her neck where the cervical collar was still in place. The doctor caught her hand and took it in his. "Ms. Willows, do you know where you are?" the doctor asked.

She tried to speak, but the doctor quickly corrected her. "You can't speak with the ET tube in your throat. Just squeeze my hand if yes, let go if no," the doctor explained.

Catherine squeezed the doctor's hand. "You have sustained a severe concussion Ms. Willows, and we're concerned about a possible neck injury. We'll evaluate you for that soon enough. Please do not try to move your head."

Catherine squeezed his hand as if to say okay. "Are you in any pain?" the doctor asked.

Catherine loosened her grip on his hand. "Okay, that's good. We have you on several medications right now that should counteract any discomfort," the doctor spoke, "can you give me your other hand?"

Lindsey let go of her mother's hand, and Catherine slowly reached across the bed. The doctor held her other hand in his free hand. "Squeeze both of my hands as hard as you can," the doctor instructed.

Catherine did as he asked, and the doctor returned her hands to her sides. Lindsey quickly grabbed her hand again. The doctor walked to the end of the bed and picked up the sheet. "Can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Catherine did as he instructed, and the doctor seemed satisfied. He covered her feet back up and returned to the head of the bed. "Ms. Willows, I'm going to leave you with your family for a little while. The respiratory specialist should be up soon to evaluate your inspiratory effort, and hopefully be able to take you off of the ventilator. Until then, try to relax."

Catherine appeared to understand, and the doctor left the room . Warrick made his way up to the head of the bed, and he was finally in Catherine's line of sight. "Everything is going to be okay Cath," he spoke, patting her shoulder.

Catherine's eyes closed, and she started to fight the ventilator once again. She swatted at Warrick's arm and tried to get him away from her. "Cath, don't," Warrick rested his hand on her arm again.

Catherine swung her arm out and fought to get him away from her once again. A nurse appeared in the room and noticed Catherine's distress. "Sir, I think you need to leave," the nurse spoke, "you are clearly not helping the patient."

Warrick pulled away from her as if he had been burned. "Catherine, I could never hurt you," Warrick spoke.

Warrick retreated from the room, the soft clicking of the crutches resonating on his way out. Both Lindsey and Catherine's sister were attempting to calm down Catherine as the nurse approached the bed. "Ms. Willows, you have to stop fighting the respirator," the nurse stated.

A few tears streamed from Catherine's eyes, and her eyes reopened. Lindsey ran her hand up and down Catherine's arm in a soothing motion, and Catherine ceased her battle with the respirator. "Ms. Willows, a doctor will be by soon to take that out for you. You need to stay calm and rest until he gets here."

When the nurse was satisfied that Catherine's vital signs had returned to normal, she left Catherine's sister and Lindsey alone with her. "Mom, what's wrong?" Lindsey asked, still rubbing her hand up and down Catherine's arm.

Catherine made a writing gesture with her hand. Her sister grabbed a pen and a piece of notepaper from her purse. Catherine rested her hand on top of the paper and started writing. _'Too fast. His fault.'_

Her sister looked at the piece of paper and frowned. "He's been sitting here waiting for you to wake up," she spoke.

Catherine underlined the words 'his fault' to emphasize her point. "Lindsey, stay here with your mother," Catherine's sister spoke, "I need to go make a phone call."

Lindsey nodded and her aunt left the room. She proceeded to start telling her mother about what she had done in the past few days to try and keep her occupied.

* * *

Catherine's sister made her way down to the opposite end of the hall from the waiting room so she wouldn't have to encounter Warrick. When she got to the payphone, she dialed the number for the crime lab. "I'd like to speak to Gil Grissom," she spoke. 

"Just a minute," the operator answered, "let me see if I can patch you through. What is this call in reference to?"

"I am Catherine Willows' sister. I need to speak to Gil Grissom."

"Okay, just a minute please."

* * *

Grissom frowned when his office phone rang, for he was about to leave for the hospital. "Grissom," he spoke. 

"Dr. Grissom, I've got a woman on the line who says she's Ms. Willows' sister. Should I put her through?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Mr. Grissom, you need to come down to the hospital," Catherine's sister spoke, "it's important."

"What happened?" Grissom asked, concerned.

"Catherine's awake. However, as soon as she saw Warrick, she got really agitated. She wrote 'too fast, his fault' on a piece of paper."

Grissom sighed. "I was just about to come down to talk to Warrick anyway. If he is upsetting her, just keep him away from her for now. I'm leaving now, I'll be there soon."

"Okay Mr. Grissom."

Grissom hung up the phone and left the lab for the hospital.

* * *

When Grissom arrived in the ICU, he found Warrick, Catherine's sister, and Lindsey, all in the waiting room. It was eerily quiet, and the tension was palpable. When Catherine's sister saw Grissom, she spoke. "The doctor asked us to leave the room for a few minutes. He's determining if he can do the extubation." 

Grissom nodded. "Warrick, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Grissom asked.

Warrick grabbed his crutches from their resting place against a nearby chair and followed Grissom out of the room. They headed down a hallway, away from the waiting room. "Warrick, the day shift supervisor called me with the findings from the accident scene," Grissom spoke.

"And?"

"He said that your vehicle was going about eighty miles per hour when you slammed on the brakes," Grissom stated.

Warrick leaned his head against the nearby wall. _I knew I was going fast, but I didn't realize I was going that fast. _Grissom continued speaking when Warrick didn't say anything. "He determined that the other driver was at fault for crossing the center line, but he feels that the car wouldn't have flipped, and Catherine's injuries would have been less severe if you hadn't been speeding."

"Griss, I was trying to get to the scene as quickly as possible," Warrick tried to defend himself.

"Although you can go over the speed limit with your flashers on to get to a scene quickly, you endangered your lives and other innocent bystanders' lives by driving as recklessly as you were. You know full well you shouldn't have been going eighty."

"Griss, what is this about, pinning blame? Cath is in that hospital room no matter what, fingers don't need to be pointed," Warrick growled.

Grissom ignored Warrick's comment and continued on. "The dayshift supervisor reported his findings to the board. He is recommending a week of suspension without pay and a letter of reprimand in your file."

"Great, now I'm getting punished for trying to get to the scene in a timely manner," Warrick scoffed.

"Warrick, you're lucky you're not being dismissed. This can't happen again. Take the week to try and reflect, and we'll discuss this further when you can return to work."

Warrick ran his hand across his eyes and tried to assess his current predicament. "Griss, she freaked out when she saw me," Warrick stated.

"Warrick, she was in a traumatic accident, you can't expect her to act normally right away. It's Christmas, and she's stuck in a hospital. The last thing she probably remembers is racing down the highway toward the mayor's house."

"Great, she blames me too."

Warrick adjusted his crutches and made his way back to the waiting room. After a minute, Grissom slowly started his way back.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, a doctor emerged in the waiting room. "You may go see Ms. Willows now. I was able to remove the ET tube, and she is now able to talk to you. However, I do not want any of you to do anything to upset her. You may visit with her for a little while, and then she needs to get some rest." 

They all nodded, and the doctor left the room. Grissom, Lindsey, and Catherine's sister exited the waiting room, leaving Warrick behind. Warrick sighed and rested his head against the wall. _What have I done?_

_

* * *

_When Catherine's sister and Lindsey entered the room, Catherine was still laying practically flat on her back, and her eyes were closed. Grissom stayed outside of the room to allow Catherine's family to visit her first. Lindsey took her mother's hand in hers and smiled when she opened her eyes. "Hi honey," Catherine spoke, her voice slightly raspy.

"Mom, how do you feel?" Lindsey asked.

"Tired. I'm sorry about Christmas," Catherine apologized.

"Mom, don't," Lindsey squeezed her hand, "you're going to be okay, that's all that matters."

A tear dripped down the side of Catherine's face, and her sister wiped it away. "You sure gave us quite a scare Cath," her sister spoke.

"You know me, always the drama queen," Catherine gave her a small smile.

Catherine winced when her facial muscles pulled at her nose. "Don't move around to much," her sister explained, "you've got a broken nose and two extremely black eyes. Add in the concussion and your neck, and you've got plenty of things to give you pain."

"I must look like hell," Catherine stated.

"Pretty much," her sister joked.

"Mom, Grissom's waiting outside to see you. Can I have him come in?" Lindsey asked.

"Sure honey, why don't you give me a few minutes to speak with him."

Lindsey and her aunt left the room and told Grissom he could go speak to her. "Hi Cath," Grissom spoke, walking to the head of her bed.

"Hey," Catherine spoke, "how is the other driver?"

"He's fine, so is Warrick. Warrick's got a broken ankle, but it's nothing compared to what you have."

"Gil, he was driving so fast," Catherine stated.

"Cath, everything is being taken care of. Just worry about getting better. Warrick has been waiting to talk to you, do you think you can let him in?"

"No," Catherine stated, directing her gaze away from Grissom, "I am spending Christmas in this hospital because of him. He says he could never hurt hurt me, but he has. I just can't see him right now."

"Okay," Grissom spoke, squeezing her hand, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"There's a box in the top of my bedroom closet filled with Christmas presents," Catherine spoke, "nothing is wrapped, and there is an MP3 player on top. If you could give that to Lindsey, she'll at least have something for Christmas."

"Are you sure you want me in your bedroom?" Grissom asked, "I could have Sara go."

"Gil, quit being bashful, it's not like you. You know where the key is, just go get the gift for me. It's hard enough on her that I'm in the hospital, it'll help her if she has something to keep herself occupied."

"Okay Cath," Grissom said, squeezing her hand, "I'll make sure she gets it. You get some rest now, and everyone else will probably be by to see you later."

"Gil, what about the case?" Catherine asked.

Grissom debated whether or not to update her. "The DNA analysis is still pending, but other than that, the case is closed, all of our leads ran out. We've got three guys in custody."

"Oh, well, I guess we kind of expected that," Catherine spoke, "how's Sara?"

"Sara is fine," Grissom replied, "you worry about yourself for now."

"I guess I can manage that, it's not like I can go anywhere."

"I'll be by later to see you again Cath, get some rest," Grissom said, squeezing her hand.

Before Grissom could leave, Catherine squeezed his hand back. "Merry Christmas Gil," she stated.

"You too Cath."

Grissom let go of her hand and left the room. Catherine sighed and tried to hold back her tears. _Some Christmas this is. I've got all of my friends and family at the hospital instead of home enjoying the holiday. All because of one single moment, an instant of lost control. _Tears fell from Catherine's eyes as she struggled to clear all of her thoughts from her mind. _I am okay, that's what's important._

_

* * *

_Grissom returned to the waiting room and sat across from Warrick. "Warrick, Catherine is really upset about what happened. She says she can't see you right now. Give her a few days to digest what's going on, she just needs time."

Warrick nodded, and Grissom walked over to where Catherine's sister was sitting. "I need to go back to the lab right now," Grissom spoke, "but if you need anything, Warrick has my cell phone number, don't hesitate to call."

"Okay Mr. Grissom. Merry Christmas," Catherine's sister spoke.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Grissom spoke before exiting the waiting room.

Grissom made his way back down to the ground floor and out of the hospital. After starting his car, he began his drive back to the lab. _I hope there aren't any new cases when I get back, I really would just like to take Sara home and enjoy some time with her._ _All of this stress is starting to get to me. I've never much liked the holidays, but I would like to have Sara all to myself for a little while._

_

* * *

_


	31. Chapter 31

When Grissom got back to the lab, Sara, Nick, and Greg were sitting in the break room. He stepped into the room and addressed Sara. "Is your case finished?" he asked.

Sara looked up while taking a drink from her bottle of water. "Yeah, we found the perpetrator just down the street, extremely drunk. His prints were on the broken window and several of the items inside. Case closed."

Grissom nodded and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Greg, what have you been working on?" Grissom asked.

"Paperwork," Greg replied, "the stuff that you don't like to do."

Grissom chose to disregard Greg's comment. "I just got back from the hospital," Grissom announced, "Catherine is awake."

Smiles spread around the room. "How is she feeling?" Sara asked.

"They've got her on pain medication, so she isn't in very much pain. She's upset more than anything."

"Warrick should have been able to help her out with that," Greg joked.

"You might want to tread lightly," Grissom stated, "Cath doesn't even want to see him."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Because he was driving the car," Sara stated, understanding the emotions Catherine was dealing with.

Grissom looked over toward Sara and saw the faraway look in her eyes. Grissom decided to continue the conversation and try to pull her out of her reverie. "Cath's just pretty down right now. She didn't expect to be spending Christmas in a hospital bed," Grissom explained.

"Maybe we can all go over there before next shift and try to cheer her up a little bit," Greg suggested.

"The doctor wants her to rest for a while. It might be better if we went around four or five in the afternoon," Grissom stated.

"Sounds like a plan. Griss, do we have anything else to work on?" Nick asked.

"A suicide was just called in, you and Greg can go process that. Sara, you can stay behind in case anything else gets called in."

Nick and Greg cleared the break room and headed for their scene. "I've got paperwork to work on," Sara groaned, getting up from the chair she was sitting in.

"So do I," Grissom spoke, "come down to my office, we can keep each other company."

Sara smiled and followed Grissom out of the break room.

* * *

"Sara, shift's over, we're going home," he spoke, pulling on her good hand to get her out of the chair placed across from his desk. 

Sara had been reading a journal article, and she set the journal down on his desk when he started pulling. She stood up and allowed him to lead her toward the door. "You in a hurry Griss?" Sara joked as he quickly led her down the hallway toward the parking lot.

"It's Christmas," Grissom reasoned with her, "I just want to get home and relax."

"Gil, I know you're not so crazy about the holidays. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Grissom spoke, opening the car door for her, "we just don't have a case to worry about right now, and I'm glad to actually be going home on time."

Grissom closed her door and got into the driver's seat. "Gil Grissom glad," Sara joked, squeezing his thigh, "that's a new one."

Grissom rested his right hand on top of hers and pulled out of the parking lot. "Things are just looking better right now," Grissom spoke, squeezing her hand.

Sara turned her hand over and squeezed his hand back. She understood what he was saying, no other words were needed. They traveled the rest of the way home in comfortable silence.

* * *

When Grissom and Sara entered their house, Sara wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. He ran his hands across her back and kissed the top of her head. "Can I make breakfast for you?" Grissom spoke. 

"No," Sara replied, pulling his head down to capture his lips.

Sara's fingers deftly started to unbutton his shirt, and she pulled it from his pants. Grissom picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He sat her on the end of the bed and resumed trailing kisses down her jaw line. Seconds later, Sara's shirt was discarded, and Grissom eased her down onto the bed. Neither worried about what to have for breakfast, they relished in each other.

* * *

Sara woke up around noon, and Grissom was missing from the bed. She grabbed some clothes from her dresser drawer and headed to take a shower. 

When Sara emerged from the bedroom after taking a shower and getting dressed, the smell of omelets wafted through the air. She walked out to the kitchen and found Grissom flipping over an omelet in a pan. She walked over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against his back. "Smells good," Sara whispered.

Grissom set the spatula on the kitchen counter and turned around in Sara's arms. "Merry Christmas," Grissom spoke, kissing her forehead.

Sara's face fell, and Grissom wondered what he did wrong. "I didn't get back to the store to pick up your present," Sara spoke.

Grissom reached up and cupped her cheek. "Sara, that doesn't matter, we have each other," Grissom spoke, trying to reassure her, "we've been so busy lately, don't worry about it."

"When I get a chance, I'll make sure I pick up your present. I know exactly what it is, I just didn't get the chance to pick it up."

"What is it?" Grissom asked.

"Oh no, you're not going to get any information out of me," Sara poked his side, "that would spoil the surprise."

Grissom smiled and kissed her briefly on the lips. "Have a seat, I've got omelets for lunch."

Sara pulled away from him and sat down at the table. Grissom brought their omelets to the table and sat across from Sara. The two shared a casual lunch with slight dashes of light conversation sprinkled in.

* * *

When Sara left the kitchen to go sit in the living room, Grissom reached into the kitchen cabinet where he had relocated Sara's Christmas gift to. Before Sara had woken up, Grissom took the bracelet out of his dresser drawer and put it in the kitchen cabinet. He brought the wrapped box into the living room and sat next to Sara on the couch. She didn't look at his hands, she just nestled into his body. Grissom held the gift in front of her eyes. "Merry Christmas honey," Grissom spoke. 

Sara reached up and took the gift from his grasp. "Gil, you didn't have to get me anything," Sara spoke.

"I wanted to," Grissom replied, "are you going to open it, or just sit there staring at it?"

Sara poked him in the side and proceeded to remove the wrapping paper. When she encountered the velvety box, she opened it and stared at the bracelet inside. "Gil, it's beautiful," she spoke, a smile stretching across her face.

She pulled the box closer to her face so she could further inspect the intricate design of the stones. "They're small flowers," Sara spoke, realizing the detail.

"Yes they are. I'm glad you like it honey," Grissom spoke.

Sara leaned over and shared a passionate kiss with him. When they pulled apart, Sara looked at the bracelet. "Will you put it on for me?" Sara asked.

"Sure," Grissom replied, taking the bracelet from the box.

Grissom held Sara's left hand in his and carefully brought the bracelet around her wrist, attaching the clasp. He held her hand a minute longer, admiring the way the bracelet looked on her wrist. _I made the right choice. _Sara caught his glance and turned her wrist over. "The combination of the gems and the white gold is beautiful," Sara spoke.

"Beautiful things for a beautiful woman," Grissom whispered, kissing the back of her hand.

Sara slid over onto his lap and settled her arms on top of his shoulders. "Charmer," Sara whispered into his ear.

Grissom took the opportunity to place a trail of kisses down her neck, heading toward the v of her shirt. Sara rested her left hand in his hair and carefully ran her right arm down his back. Grissom pushed Sara backwards so she was laying down on the couch, and leaned over her. Grissom removed her shirt and was reaching for the clasp of her bra when Sara spoke. "Not here," she managed to get out.

With a quick change of position, Grissom scooped Sara into his arms and brought her to the bedroom.

* * *

Following their lovemaking session, Sara lay cuddled in Grissom's arms. "We should probably get up and start getting ready to leave," Grissom spoke, kissing Sara's neck. 

"I was all dressed and ready earlier, before you started this," Sara chided.

Grissom nipped her ear. "You weren't complaining then Ms. Sidle," he played along.

Sara turned over and kissed him on the lips. "We better go shower so we can get out of here," Sara spoke, tugging Grissom off of the bed with her.

"We have to stop at Cath's before we head to the hospital so we can get one of Lindsey's Christmas presents for her," Grissom spoke as Sara led him to the bathroom.

"Alright," Sara spoke, stepping into the shower.

Grissom followed Sara into the shower, and after they had washed up, both of them dried off and proceeded to get dressed. Both of them were out the door and heading toward Catherine's house within half an hour.

* * *

Grissom and Sara arrived at the hospital after making a quick stop at Catherine's house to pick up the MP3 player. Sara had used an old newspaper to wrap up the gift. When Grissom and Sara entered the ICU waiting room, no one was in sight. "I wonder where they went?" Sara stated. 

They walked out to the nurses' desk. "Does Ms. Willows have any visitors right now?" Grissom asked the nurse sitting behind the desk.

"Ms. Willows was moved to a different floor," the nurse spoke, "her condition was upgraded about two hours ago."

After receiving Catherine's new room number, Grissom and Sara made their way back to the elevator.

* * *

When Grissom and Sara walked into Catherine's room, Lindsey, Nick, and Greg were already there. "Isn't there a visitor limit," Sara stated, noting how many people they had in the room. 

"Yeah, but we're having a Christmas party," Nick said facetiously, "you're just in time to join us."

Sara looked around the room and noted who was missing. _She's being too hard on him, he's probably killing himself right now. _Sara walked up to the head of Catherine's bed and held the present in front of her face. "Griss made sure he got this for you," Sara spoke, "it's all ready for you to give it to her."

Sara placed the wrapped MP3 player in Catherine's hand and stepped back away from the bed. Lindsey was sitting on the other side of the bed, so Catherine brought the present across her stomach. "Linds, this is for you," Catherine handed the gift to Lindsey, "Merry Christmas."

Lindsey took the gift and placed it on her lap. "Aren't you going to open it?" Greg egged her on.

Lindsey turned over the gift so she could get to the tape, and she opened up the package. A smile appeared on her face when she saw what was inside. "Thanks mom," Lindsey spoke, trying to carefully hug her mother.

A small smile appeared on Catherine's face. "There are other things for you at home," Catherine spoke, "but I figured those gifts could wait until I get out of here. At least with that, you can listen to some music."

Lindsey nodded and threw the newspaper out. She sat back down in the chair and held onto her Christmas present. "So, you got moved out of the ICU," Grissom stated.

"Yeah. I was breathing fine without the ventilator, and as far as the doctors could tell, I didn't suffer any brain damage. Now I just have to get woken up all of the time because of the damn concussion. That and the fact that I can't sit up yet, and I've got this annoying brace on my neck."

"You'll heal," Nick reassured her, "it's just going to take some time."

"Where's your sister Cath?" Sara asked, trying to change the subject and gain information at the same time.

"She went home for a while. She figured she could get some rest while all of you were here."

After they all stayed to chat for a little while, the time came that Nick, Greg, Grissom, and Sara had to leave. They all said their goodbyes with promises to see her again soon. Once everyone had left, Catherine closed her eyes. "Is everything okay mom?" Lindsey asked, noticing that she had become quiet.

Catherine reached for Lindsey's hand, and Lindsey took a hold of it. "Yeah honey, I'm just tired. I wish we were home celebrating Christmas," Catherine admitted.

Lindsey nodded. She continued to think about something before she addressed her mother. "Mom, Warrick has been waiting here to see you. I know you're upset, but he's really worried about you."

If Catherine could have turned away, she would have curled up into a ball and just cried. Instead, she dropped Lindsey's hand and brought her hand up to her face to conceal any tears that might fall. "Lindsey, this is complicated. You don't understand how I feel right now."

"Mom, this isn't complicated. It doesn't make sense for you to just sit in here upset, and for him to sit out in the waiting room worrying about you. Just let him come see you so you can talk to each other."

"Lindsey, stop," Catherine stated, trying unsuccessfully to contain her tears.

Lindsey left the room and headed for the waiting room.

* * *

When Lindsey entered the waiting room, Warrick looked up. "Why aren't you with your mom?" Warrick asked. 

Lindsey walked over to Warrick and grabbed his hand. "She's not going to say it, but my mom needs you," Lindsey spoke, "I don't know exactly what is bothering her, but you should go see her."

Warrick was extremely tempted to run down the hallway and pull Catherine into his arms, but he knew that wouldn't be the right move, and it wouldn't be possible with her in a hospital bed and with him on crutches. "Lindsey, the doctor said that your mother shouldn't get upset," Warrick spoke, trying to reason with her, "I don't want to go down there and upset her."

"Warrick, she's already upset," Lindsey stated, "this whole thing between the two of you is insane. It's not like you crashed the car on purpose."

Warrick knew that the whole idea could backfire, but he couldn't stand to think that Catherine was upset and by herself. He pulled himself to his feet, grabbed his crutches, and followed Lindsey back down the hallway. _I hope I can fix this._

_

* * *

_When Warrick entered Catherine's room, she had one hand across her eyes, and she was openly sobbing. Warrick made his way to her side, dropped his crutches, and grabbed her free hand. "Cath, it's okay, I'm here, everything is going to be okay," Warrick spoke.

Catherine pulled her hand away from her face and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry for what happened," Warrick spoke, "and I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I'm sorry you're stuck in this hospital bed, and I'm sorry it's Christmas, but I can't change that. All I can do it be here for you, and all I want to do is help you."

Catherine reached her arms up, and Warrick tried to lean down and give her a makeshift hug. Warrick settled on holding her right hand in his left, and rubbing his right hand up and down her left arm in a soothing motion. "I'm sorry for pushing you away," Catherine spoke between sobs.

"Shh, it's okay," Warrick tried to shush her, "we can talk about this afterward. Right now, you're supposed to be resting. The doctor doesn't want you to be upset."

Catherine gave him a small smile. "We will have that talk," Catherine stated, determined to set things right between them.

Warrick nodded. "Right now you need to calm down and try to relax," Warrick spoke, "do you feel okay? Does anything hurt?"

"Warrick, I'm fine," Catherine assured him, pulling his hands into hers.

"Your daughter is persistent," Warrick spoke, trying to turn the direction of the conversation.

"Yes, she is. She was determined to get you down here," Catherine recalled, "where is she anyway?"

"Outside the door. She wanted to give us a few minutes alone."

Warrick leaned forward to kiss Catherine's forehead, but she put her hands on his chest, halting his progress. "Warrick, this is what we need to talk about. I need time to get out of this hospital and process everything before I make any decisions about this. I am in no state of mind to make the decision right now."

Warrick pulled away from Catherine. Catherine saw Warrick's face fall a little bit, and she tried to soften the blow. "Friends," Catherine stated, holding onto both of his hands.

"No matter what Cath, we'll always be friends," Warrick stated, squeezing her hands.

"Good," Catherine stated, squeezing his hands back.

"Do you want me to get Lindsey to come back in?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah," Catherine answered.

Warrick called out to Lindsey, and she stuck her head in the room. "Your mom wants to see you," Warrick stated.

Lindsey entered the room and walked over to Catherine's side. Warrick picked up his crutches and looked like he was going to leave the room. "Warrick, can you stay?" Catherine asked.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere," Warrick reassured her, "I want to stay a while, so I thought I would grab a chair. I've got an ankle that will protest if I stand too long."

Catherine gave him a small smile. "Sorry," she spoke.

The three of them sat and talked, Warrick glad that Catherine would let him in, and Catherine glad that she had gotten past her momentary insanity. _What about us though? There never really was an us. I don't think I can do an us. I'll get through this first, and see if I want an us. It's not just my decision, is it?  
_

_

* * *

_


	32. Chapter 32

A week and a half later, Grissom was sitting in his office before shift started. Greg knocked on the frame of the open door and poked his head in. Grissom ushered him in before he could speak. "Greg, sit," Grissom instructed, "close the door behind you."

Greg did what Grissom asked and held up the papers he held in his hand. "I've got all of the DNA results from the conspiracy case," Greg spoke, handing the papers to Grissom.

Grissom leafed through the papers and looked back up at Greg. "Have you looked through all of these already?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, I've got all of the connections written down also," Greg spoke, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Okay, I'll let you present what you have when I gather everyone for assignments."

"Are we done?" Greg asked, not wanting to leave before he was supposed to.

"No," Grissom replied, "we still need to talk about the exchanged evidence."

Greg's face fell, for he knew the talk had been coming, and he knew it wasn't going to be good. "Greg, although you did not lose the evidence per se, it was in your custody when it was taken from the lab," Grissom explained, "it was all apparently done while you were sitting right there. How did that happen?"

"Grissom, I don't really know," Greg admitted, "I'm always very careful to watch everything in the lab. The sheriff, or whoever the guy was, was talking to me while the samples were out. Everything was sitting in test tubes, and I don't remember seeing him touch anything."

"Alright Greg," Grissom spoke, "it doesn't matter now, it's done with. The lab is still restricted to CSI only, no one else belongs in here. However, since you technically lost the evidence while it was in your custody, I have to put a note about it in your file. It's department protocol."

Greg fought to keep his head upright. "It's going to be longer until I can become a CSI, isn't it?" Greg asked, feeling defeated.

"Yes," Grissom answered, "although this didn't happen out in the field, competent CSIs must be able to know where the evidence is at all times. No evidence, no case."

Greg felt Grissom's words hammering into his mind. Greg nodded to prove to Grissom that he had understood. "Take your results and meet me in the lab," Grissom said, handing the papers back to Greg, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Greg accepted the papers and headed out the door. Grissom watched him leave, and he gathered the assignment slips together. _Sometimes I wish this job was just about the cases, not about the discipline and the politics. The joys of being the supervisor._

_

* * *

_Grissom frowned when he entered the break room. "Warrick, what are you doing here?" Grissom asked, noting his presence on the couch, "Aren't you supposed to be taking Catherine home?"

Warrick shook his head. "Her sister took her home this morning," Warrick spoke, dropping the subject.

Grissom didn't seem to want any more information. "What are you doing here then?" Grissom questioned.

"I do still work here, right?" Warrick stated, "My week of suspension is up, and I don't have anywhere else to be. I can help with whatever needs to be done in the lab."

Grissom looked at Warrick's ankle and shook his head. "Yes Warrick, you do work here. You're to stay in the lab until that cast comes off. Help out whoever needs it," Grissom instructed.

Warrick nodded, and Grissom turned to address the group. "Sara, take Greg, you've got a 419. Nick, you're solo, a B&E. I've got a convenience store robbery," Grissom stated, "however, before everyone leaves, Greg has the DNA results from the conspiracy case."

Grissom gestured toward Greg, and Greg cleared his throat in slight nervousness. "First of all, I was able to identify the two bodies. They were Ecklie and Atwater, just like we thought," Greg explained, "blood evidence pulled from the freezer shows that both of them were in that freezer at some point."

Greg glanced around the room, and he received a couple of nods. "The hairs that Nick collected from the coffin match the hairs Grissom found in the freezer, and they also match the skin cells Warrick found on Ecklie's shirt. Elias Thompson was in that coffin at some point, and in the freezer at some point, but we couldn't find his body."

"So Elias Thompson, the guy posing as Ecklie, had some kind of contact with Ecklie," Nick stated.

"From statements from the suspects, it would appear that Elias Thompson killed Ecklie," Sara concluded.

"Yes," Grissom spoke, "but we don't have any evidence to prove that. We don't have evidence to prove anything else."

"Case is cold," Warrick stated.

Grissom nodded. "I figured everyone should know where we stand with that case right now. It goes up on the board with every other one," Grissom said.

Grissom looked around the room and started toward the door. "Let's get to our scenes, crime doesn't take nights off," Grissom stated before walking out the door.

The team dispersed and headed for their separate scenes.

* * *

On their drive to the 419, Sara thought Greg seemed rather quiet. "Is something wrong Greg?" Sara asked. 

"Nah, I'm just kicking myself I guess," Greg stated.

"For what?" Sara asked, puzzled as to what he was referring to.

"Griss talked to me this morning about the swapped evidence," Greg stated.

Sara immediately understood what was bothering him. "You're going to have to wait to become a CSI," Sara spoke.

Greg nodded. "Greg, it won't be that much longer," Sara stated, "just wait until all of the dust clears. It'll happen soon enough."

Although Greg was still thinking about his punishment, he tried to appear to be himself. "I wonder what happened with Cath," Greg spoke, trying to change the subject.

Sara allowed Greg to redirect their conversation. "I think she's having some mixed feelings about things," Sara said, purposely trying not to be too specific.

"She took the safe route and had her sister take her home," Greg stated, "she didn't have to see Warrick that way."

"True."

"Catherine never takes the safe route," Greg emphasized.

"Greg, I don't read minds," Sara stated, "and I don't want to end up in the middle of this. Catherine needs to heal, and all that matters is that she got home."

"Should Warrick even be driving?" Greg asked.

"Probably not," Sara spoke, "his right foot is fine, but it's still not a great idea. With everything else, I don't think anyone is going to call him on it though."

Greg accepted Sara's statement and dropped the subject. They both stayed silent the rest of the drive.

* * *

After shift, Warrick drove to Catherine's house and knocked on the door. A minute later, Lindsey appeared. "How's your mom?" Warrick asked. 

"She's tired, but she's okay. Come on in, she's in the living room," Lindsey spoke, opening the door wider to allow him to pass.

Warrick made his way into the living room and found Catherine in her pajamas, sitting stiffly on the couch. "Hey," Catherine spoke, watching as Warrick crossed the room and sat on the coffee table in front of her.

Warrick set his crutches off to the side and turned his attention back to Catherine. "How do you feel?" Warrick asked, carefully avoiding the subject of how she had gotten home, for he realized that she was just anxious about riding with him, especially since he had a broken ankle.

"Stiff and tired," Catherine replied.

"Have you gotten any sleep since you came home yesterday?"

"Some. My neck is just bothering me so much that I can't find a way to be comfortable. The special pillow I'm supposed to sleep on isn't helping anything either."

Warrick was about to speak when Lindsey entered the living room. "Mom, my ride's here, I need to go to school," Lindsey spoke.

"Come over here," Catherine stated.

Lindsey walked over and gave her mother a careful hug when Catherine reached her arms out. "Mom, I'll be fine, I'm just going to school," Lindsey tried to reassure Catherine.

"I know, just be careful. I'll see you later," Catherine spoke, allowing Lindsey to leave.

Once Catherine and Warrick were alone again, Warrick rested his hand on her knee. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Warrick asked.

"Make the pain stop," Catherine said, giving him a small smile.

"Have you taken medication?"

"Yes, but it just dulls the pain, it doesn't get rid of it."

"When is the last time you had ice on your neck?"

"A while ago."

"Well, how about I go get an icepack and treat you to a massage."

"It's not necessary."

"But you'd like it," Warrick smiled.

"Alright, I give in, you better be good at massages," Catherine warned.

"I believe you'll find my services more than satisfactory," Warrick joked.

Catherine lightly slapped Warrick's hand and allowed him to retrieve an icepack from the kitchen.

* * *

When Warrick returned from the kitchen, he placed the dishtowel wrapped icepack across Catherine's neck and shoulders. He then sat across from her once again. "How's that?" Warrick asked. 

"I thought you said you were giving me a massage?" Catherine groaned.

"I will, the ice might help you to feel a little better first."

Warrick slid the coffee table back some and picked up one of Catherine's bare feet. He started to massage the soft sole of her foot. "How's that for a massage?" Warrick questioned.

Catherine gave him a small smile. "Feels good. I have myself a personal masseuse."

Warrick returned the smile, and after a few minutes, he turned his attention to her other foot. When he was certain that the ice had been on her neck for fifteen minutes, he made his way behind the couch and removed the ice pack. While keeping all of his weight on his right foot, Warrick rested his hands on Catherine's shoulders. "I'll go really slow and try to work out some of the kinks," Warrick spoke, "you've got to tell me if I'm hurting you."

"Okay," Catherine replied.

"How's your nose?" Warrick asked, looking at the temporary cast encasing it while massaging her shoulders.

"I have to go back to the doctor in a week so he can reevaluate his work. Until then, it's a pain to have to keep my head up all of the time."

"Can't let the blood rush to your head."

"Believe me, I've gotten a long enough lecture from my doctor."

Warrick smiled and carefully started to massage Catherine's neck. He abruptly stopped when Catherine moaned. "Cath?" Warrick said, worried he had hurt her.

"I think that's enough for today," Catherine spoke, wincing.

"Where does it hurt?" Warrick asked.

"The back of my head and down my neck," Catherine replied, "I think I'd like to go lay down."

Warrick limped back to the other side of the couch and noticed that Catherine had gotten much paler. "Are you okay?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah," Catherine replied, "it just hurts a lot. Once I relax the pain should subside a little."

Warrick nodded and carefully helped Catherine up off of the couch. "Are you okay to walk?"

"Yeah, it's not like you're going to walk anywhere anyway. Why don't you just go on home and get some rest? You have to work later."

"If you don't mind, I'm going to make sure you get into bed okay first," Warrick stated, "I can't have you collapsing on the floor and ending up back in the hospital."

"Okay," Catherine stated, walking toward her bedroom.

With his crutches, Warrick followed close behind. Once Warrick was sure that Catherine was safe in bed, he quietly let himself out of the house, locking the door behind him. _Well, at least she's in a good mood. She doesn't seem to resent me, and she's surely not pushing me away. What the future may bring._

* * *


	33. Chapter 33

By the middle of February, Catherine's injuries had healed, and she was cleared to return to work. Her neck often gave her pain, but the doctor had assured her that the pain would eventually decrease. Around the same time, Warrick had his cast removed, and Grissom was going to allow him to return to fieldwork. It was the first time in a while that everyone had been sitting in the break room when Grissom handed out assignments. "Greg, you can go with Nick to a 419," Grissom spoke, "Catherine, Sara, you've got an arson, and Warrick, you're with me for another 419."

Warrick passed Grissom to walk out the door, but Grissom called him back. "You're driving, Warrick," Grissom stated, holding out the keys.

Warrick reluctantly took the keys and headed out to the car.

* * *

"Sara, are you doing anything tomorrow after shift?" Catherine asked on the way to their scene. 

"No, why?" Sara replied.

"Because your wedding is in slightly over two weeks, and we haven't gone shopping for anything," Catherine stated, "and do not try to tell me you went shopping on your own."

"No, I didn't," Sara admitted, "I haven't really thought about it."

"You haven't thought about your wedding?" Catherine said, alarmed.

Sara chuckled. "Of course I've thought about my wedding," Sara corrected, "I just didn't think about the flowers or anything that's needed for the wedding."

"Please tell me you sent out invitations," Catherine stated, worried that Sara had omitted them also.

"I informed people about the time and place. It wasn't hard, it's mainly you guys and a couple of other people from work that are coming."

"Surely you're inviting family?"

Sara slowly let out the breath she had just drawn in. "There's no one left to invite really," Sara stated, trying to evade the question.

Catherine continued her line of questioning. "Your parents are still alive, aren't they?"

"My parents and I do not get along," Sara stated, frustrated that Catherine would not give up.

Catherine was about to ask another question, but she had noticed that Sara had become uptight. "So, is the color still blue?" Catherine asked, successfully changing the subject.

"Yeah."

"So we need to pick out flowers, and decorations, and the cake," Catherine started listing.

"Catherine, I told you, this isn't going to be a big deal," Sara tried to remind her.

"I know Sara, but that doesn't mean everything can't look nice. We'll go after tomorrow's shift to decide everything."

"Alright," Sara conceded, knowing that her wedding was quickly approaching.

Catherine pulled up to the scene, and they both exited the vehicle to get to work.

* * *

After Grissom got into the vehicle, Warrick waited to start it. "We do have a scene to go to," Grissom stated. 

Warrick turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot. Although Grissom didn't say anything, he watched the speedometer the entire way to the scene. Warrick felt as if he was being examined under a microscope, and he was fighting not to squirm in his seat. "Grissom, what do you want?" Warrick snapped when he pulled up to the scene.

"Nothing," Grissom stated nonchalantly, "thank you for getting me to the scene safely."

Before Warrick could comment, Grissom exited the vehicle and headed to duck under the crime scene tape. Warrick shook his head and took a minute to get himself back under control. When he was sure he was his collected self once again, Warrick grabbed his kit and walked to where Grissom had ducked under a minute before.

* * *

At the end of the next shift, Sara walked into Grissom's office. "Cath and I are going to leave to shop for the wedding," Sara announced. 

"Good," Grissom spoke, "have a good time. I'm going to wait up for you at home."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Sara asked.

"Would you like me to come?"

"You don't have to. Catherine is probably going to drag me around the store to pick everything out anyway."

"You go ahead and have fun," Grissom smiled, "I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

"Thanks Griss," Sara groaned.

"Anytime."

Sara left his office to join Catherine at the car.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sara asked as Catherine drove. 

"To pick out the flowers," Catherine spoke, "the florist is open this early."

"Okay."

"I still haven't gotten to see your dress yet," Catherine pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. At this point, you can just wait until the wedding," Sara stated.

Catherine smiled. "Did you get it fitted yet?"

"Do you think I'm incapable of taking care of any details of my wedding?" Sara said, raising an eyebrow.

"Does it look good?" Catherine asked, taking the hint to stop annoying her.

"No, it looks absolutely horrible," Sara deadpanned.

Catherine pulled into the flower shop and opened her door. "Let's go pick out the flowers."

* * *

As Catherine walked around looking at different cut flowers, Sara went straight to where some potted irises were displayed. After finding the perfect color blue, Sara ventured to find Catherine. "Cath, I found the perfect irises," Sara stated. 

"Where? I didn't see any irises," Catherine replied, rather surprised.

Sara led Catherine back to where the potted plants were and pointed to the iris. "You want to use potted plants?" Catherine questioned.

"There aren't going to be that many people at the wedding, so we only needed six tables. I'd rather use the live plants so people can take them home," Sara explained.

"Well, it's a good color," Catherine reasoned, "do you want to look at some roses and other cut flowers to pick out what you want for your bouquet?"

"I guess so. There should probably be a central flower arrangement also."

Catherine led Sara back to the cut flowers, and they started discussing the various options with the florist.

* * *

After spending two hours picking out flowers, Catherine and Sara headed to a bakery to try and pick out a wedding cake design. "What kind of cake does Gil like?" Catherine asked Sara when they entered the bakery. 

"He likes just about everything," Sara stated.

"Well, we've got to sit down and test the different flavors. It probably would have been better to bring Gil with you to do this."

"Cath, Gil wouldn't care what kind of cake it is."

Sara sat down at the small table next to Catherine, and the store owner waited to take their requests. "If you choose something that he doesn't like," Catherine spoke, "he's not going to eat the cake."

"Cath, he'll eat just about anything."

"Call him, tell him the different flavors, and ask him what he likes best. That way you'll know he'll like it," Catherine suggested.

"I tell you Cath, he's just going to tell me to pick," Sara started.

"Just call him."

Sara sighed and pulled her cell phone off of her belt. Grissom picked up after two rings. "Grissom," he spoke.

"Did I wake you?" Sara asked.

"No, I was just resting. I told you I was going to wait up for you, remember?"

"Yeah."

"So, what's going on?"

"We picked out the flowers, and now we're working on picking out the cake. That's why I'm calling actually."

"Oh, what did Catherine get you into?"

Sara chuckled. "You know her too well. She wanted me to call you to ask what kind of cake you want."

"A wedding cake," Grissom deadpanned.

"Thanks Gil, like I didn't know that. Any particular flavor?"

"No, I really don't care Sara. I'm not picky."

"That's what I told Catherine. Do you want me to read off the kinds, and you can pick one?"

"Sara, whatever you want is fine."

"How about cannoli cake?"

"That sounds perfect."

"Okay, it'll probably be that then," Sara stated, "we're still going to be a while yet, why don't you head to bed?"

"Sara, I told you I was going to wait up for you," Grissom reiterated.

"I know, but you like to sleep longer than I do."

"I'll be waiting for you. Hope you have fun."

"Thanks Griss, I'll see you soon."

Sara closed her cell phone and noticed that Catherine was smiling. "What?" Sara questioned.

"Nothing, the two of you are just funny."

Sara decided not to answer her comment. "He said he didn't care what kind of cake."

"Oh well. You did say that you like cannoli though, why don't we try that?"

"Okay."

The store owner cut two small pieces of cannoli cake and placed the plates in front of them. Sara picked up her fork and tasted it. "Mmm, this is really good."

"Yeah, it is," Catherine replied after tasting hers, "are there any other flavors that you want to try?"

"No, the cannoli cake is really good, I'd like this."

Sara and Catherine discussed the design with the store owner and eventually left the bakery.

* * *

Catherine and Sara walked into a department store and headed back to the fabric department. "Is the hotel providing the tablecloths?" Catherine asked. 

"Yes, that's all taken care of," Sara replied.

"Okay, then we just need to get some fabric to cover the flowerpots."

After picking out some royal blue fabric, they headed to the home decor section. "You've got to pick out favors," Catherine spoke.

"Yeah, I do. I was thinking paperweights for the guys," Sara stated.

"Okay, why don't we look at the selection."

Catherine and Sara found the right aisle and started looking at the different paperweights. "How about this one?" Catherine joked, holding up a plastic paperweight with a tarantula inside of it.

Sara played along. "Yes, I think that is perfect. Now to find something that won't make the guests turn away," Sara stated.

Catherine smiled, and they got serious once again. Sara found a small metal paperweight with a carved butterfly on the top. "I think I've got a good one," Sara spoke, holding up the paperweight.

Catherine walked closer and observed the paperweight. "That is a good choice," Catherine spoke, "especially with the bug on there for Grissom."

"It's not a bug, it's a butterfly," Sara defended.

"Which is an insect."

"Oh, you're the expert now."

"No, that's okay, one is more than enough."

Sara smiled and collected enough paperweights for the men. "What do you want to do for the ladies?" Catherine asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Sara replied.

"How about candles?" Catherine asked, heading further down the aisle.

Sara continued walking and picked up a candle. "There are butterflies on the candles too," Sara said, holding one up.

Catherine took the candle from Sara and looked it over. "It's nice. There would be a continuous theme too."

Sara added enough candles to the cart and looked over their choices. "I think we're done," Sara spoke.

"You sure this is everything you need?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, this is plenty," Sara replied.

They headed to the checkout, loaded their purchases into the car, and Catherine drove toward Sara's house. "Do you want me to hold onto everything and make sure it gets to the hotel in one piece?" Catherine questioned.

"Yeah, that way you can get everything there so they can set it all up."

"Exactly. Also, it'll be one less thing you have to worry about. The bakery will take care of getting the cake there, and the florist will make sure the flowers get there."

"Okay, thanks for helping me with this Cath."

Catherine smiled. "It was fun to go shopping. Plus, it's about time the two of you tied the knot, the wedding should at least look nice."

Sara nudged Catherine's shoulder. "Sure, you tease Griss and I, but you and Warrick are still doing some kind of pseudo love dance."

"Sara, we are not going to your wedding together. The two of us kind of agreed that now was not the right time to start something up."

"The two of you decided, or you decided?"

Catherine sighed. "Sara, I don't want to talk about this right now. It's almost time for your wedding, you don't need to be thinking about my love life."

"Uh huh," Sara spoke, "now you know how it felt for you to be messing with mine all of the time."

Catherine shot Sara a cold look and continued driving. When she pulled into Sara's driveway, Sara opened the door. "I'll see you at shift later," Sara spoke.

"Okay. Tell Gil I said hi."

Sara nodded, unlocked the front door, and entered the house.

* * *

When Sara walked into the living room, she found Grissom fast asleep on the couch. She sat down near his face and ran her fingers through his hair. Grissom opened his eyes and looked up at her. "You're home," he spoke, his voice tinged with sleep. 

"Yeah, you really were tired, weren't you? I told you you could go to bed. It would have been much more comfortable."

"I wanted to wait for you to see what you had picked out."

"Well, Cath took everything, she's going to make sure everything gets over to the hotel. I can tell you what I picked out though."

Grissom stretched his arms and wrapped them loosely around Sara's waist. "What time is it?"

"Just after noon."

"Why don't we go lay down, and you can tell me about everything. You need some rest before work tonight."

"Yeah I do," Sara yawned, not realizing how tired she really was.

Sara stood up to allow Grissom to get up from the couch. After they had changed and gotten more comfortable, they snuggled under the covers and discussed what Sara had chosen. "I picked out potted irises for the flowers," Sara stated.

Grissom smiled, thinking back to the potted plant he had once sent her. "That's nice," he answered.

"Those are going to be the centerpieces for the tables, and the florist is going to make an arrangement out of white roses and cut irises. It'll go up in the front where we're going to end up standing."

"How about your bouquet?"

"That's a surprise, you'll have to wait."

Grissom smiled into Sara's hair and kissed her neck. "How about the impossible choice of cake?" Grissom joked.

"Cannoli cake. I took one bite of it and knew that it was the one."

"I've been replaced," Grissom feigned hurt.

Sara turned over and kissed him on the lips. "Not possible," she stated.

Grissom allowed Sara to turn back over. "Was that all?"

"No, we picked up favors too. You're going to like those."

"Oh, why?"

"Because they have bugs on them."

"Sara, bugs? Is that really appropriate for our wedding? You don't really want that, do you?"

Sara laughed and enclosed his hand in hers. "Stop worrying. I picked them out, remember. There are paperweights with butterflies on top for the guys, and candles with butterflies on the side for the women."

Grissom breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. At least it's not one of the less attractive insects. If it was, everyone would blame it on me."

"Oh, since Catherine is the only one who knows, they're still going to pin it on you. At least I didn't let her pick out the ones with tarantulas in them."

Grissom shook his head and tickled Sara's stomach. "Troublemaker," he teased.

"Come on, I was thinking of you," Sara stated.

Grissom trailed a couple of kisses down the back of her neck. "I know, and I'm sure everything is fine," he spoke, "is that everything we need now?"

"Yeah, everything is picked out. Have you gotten fitted for your tux?"

"No honey, I totally forgot about it," Grissom joked.

Sara reached behind her and poked him in the stomach. "Hey, no poking," he chided, "I told you last week that I went."

"Oh well, I forgot I guess," Sara stated, "Cath says hi."

"I'm sure you two had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, tons," Sara said sarcastically, "it wasn't that bad, but I hate being out shopping that long. Catherine, on the other hand, loves to do that kind of thing."

"She means well."

"I know."

Grissom nestled closer to Sara and rested his hand on her hip. After a few minutes, Sara tried to address Grissom again. "Griss," she spoke.

When she received no reply, she listened to his even breathing and realized he was sleeping. _He really must be tired. Oh well, it's nothing that can't wait until later. _Sara took a little longer to get comfortable, and eventually, she too fell asleep.

* * *


	34. Chapter 34

When Sara woke up that evening, she carefully pulled herself out of Grissom's embrace and headed out to the kitchen to make some coffee. After the pot had brewed, she poured herself a cup and sat in the living room on the couch. Deciding that she would let Grissom sleep in a little longer, Sara placed her empty coffee cup on the side table and headed to take a shower. When Sara emerged from the shower, Grissom was still sleeping. She looked down at her watch and shook her head. _This is rare, I hope he feels okay. I better get him up, or we're not going to make it to work on time. _"Griss, you've got to wake up," Sara spoke, rubbing her hand up and down his bare back.

Grissom groaned and turned over. When he opened his eyes he saw Sara, dressed in a robe, her hair wet, looking down at him from above. "Do you plan on getting up today?" Sara asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"Is it late?" he questioned.

"You've got about half an hour to get ready and get out the door."

Grissom moved to get up, but Sara placed her hand on his chest before he could. "Do you feel okay?" she asked, concerned as to why he slept for so long.

"Yeah, fine, I guess I was just really tired," Grissom said, taking her hand, "let me up so we're not late."

Sara let Grissom get up from the bed and watched as he retreated toward the bathroom.

* * *

Grissom and Sara were the last ones to enter the break room that night. Catherine gave Sara a sideways glance, but Sara ignored it. "Catherine, you and Warrick have a suicide, Nick, you're with me, we have a suspicious circs, Sara, take Greg, you've got a hit and run." 

The team dispersed and headed to their separate vehicles. Warrick and Catherine were the only ones who still had to leave. Warrick pulled his keys out of his pocket and went to open the door. "Hand them over," Catherine spoke, holding her hand out.

Warrick took one look at her face and dropped the keys into Catherine's hand. He walked around to the other side of the vehicle, hopped into the seat and buckled in. Catherine started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot. "We have got to talk about this," Warrick spoke.

"Warrick, we're at work, it's not a work related issue," Catherine tried to brush him off.

_Since when has that bothered you? _"If it's not work related, why don't you pull over and let me drive," Warrick suggested.

Catherine stared straight ahead and continued to drive. "That's what I thought," Warrick spoke, "I can understand what's been going on at a personal level, but we can't keep doing this at work."

Catherine sighed but continued to stare straight ahead. "Do you want to come over to my place after work?" Catherine asked.

"Is that the best idea?"

"Lindsey was asking about you the other day, she hasn't seen you in a while. She'll be going to school right after you come over, so it'll give us a chance to talk."

"Alright," Warrick conceded.

The two continued the rest of the drive in silence.

* * *

"That was a pretty easy scene to process," Catherine spoke, closing up her kit. 

"Yeah, anchored his belt to the door and dropped. I'll never understand why people do these things," Warrick spoke.

Warrick headed to put his kit in the vehicle, and Catherine called out to him. "Warrick," Catherine called, waiting for him to turn around.

Warrick turned around and Catherine tossed him the keys. "You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, got to do it sometime."

The two finished putting the evidence in the vehicle and got into their respective seats. Warrick pulled away from the scene and started back to the lab. Catherine had a death grip on the door handle as she stared out the window. "Do you want me to pull over?" Warrick asked, not wanting Catherine to be uncomfortable.

"No, I have to do this."

"Give me your hand then," Warrick instructed, holding his hand out.

Catherine hesitated but let go of the door with one hand to place it in his. He squeezed her hand to try to reassure her. "How's Lindsey been?" Warrick asked, trying to distract her.

"Alright I guess. At least she hasn't gotten into any more trouble at school."

"Well, you've been home with her a lot too. Kind of a short leash, you know?"

"Yeah, I didn't do it intentionally, but it happened. Hopefully things will stay calm for a while."

"That would be nice."

Warrick squeezed her hand again, and they traveled the rest of the way in silence. "We have arrived at your destination madam," Warrick spoke, pulling into the lab, "and in one piece too."

Catherine smiled and let go of his hand. "Thanks," Catherine replied.

The two retrieved their kits and evidence from the back of the vehicle and headed into the lab.

* * *

When Grissom and Sara got home that morning, they went straight to bed. Sara was spooned into Grissom, and his arms were draped loosely around her. "Does it bother you that we're just going to come back here?" Sara asked. 

Grissom slid his hands under her shirt and rested them on her stomach. "We talked about this already," Grissom stated, kissing her neck, "you said since we weren't going to have a lot of time off, it would be better just to spend it here. Are you changing your mind on me?"

"No, I was just making sure you were okay with that."

"Stop worrying about everything," Grissom kissed her neck again, "as long as I have you with me, I don't care where we are."

Sara turned over his arms and placed a kiss to his lips. "That's the reason I love you."

"Oh, I think there are a few more," Grissom teased.

Sara rolled him over so she was resting on top of him and kissed him deeply. Her hands began to wander, and Grissom groaned into her mouth. Their touches escalated, and they eventually surrendered themselves to each other.

Afterwards, Sara rested in Grissom's arms. "Maybe there is one more reason," Sara said facetiously.

Grissom poked her stomach and placed a light kiss on her neck. "I'm glad I'm so loved," Grissom spoke.

Sara smiled and pulled Grissom's arms tighter around her.

* * *

After Lindsey left for school, Catherine and Warrick sat across from each other in Catherine's living room. "She was happy to see you," Catherine spoke, taking a sip of her orange juice. 

"It was nice to see her too. You were right, it has been a while," Warrick replied.

Catherine nodded. "Warrick, everything is so complicated right now."

"It doesn't have to be."

Catherine drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I think right now I need some stability," Catherine tried to explain.

Warrick read right through her statement. "You don't trust me," Warrick stated.

"Warrick, it's not that, I have to trust you."

"For work, yes. Personally, no, you don't."

Catherine drew in a deep breath, but Warrick spoke before she could. "Cath, how many times do I have to look you in the eye and tell you that it was an accident, that I would take it back if I could? You are fine, you've healed, and I can't see why you want to waste more time dwelling on the past."

"Do you think this is all about you?" Catherine countered, "Maybe I have some issues of my own to deal with, and I'm not sure that you're the right person for this situation. Maybe I have a twelve year old daughter that I need to be concerned with. Maybe I have to figure out where I stand in my own life before I invite someone else into it."

Warrick stood up from his chair and looked Catherine straight in the eye. "Maybe it would be better if you didn't lead me on, and you just told me that I wasn't the right guy for you," Warrick said sharply.

Warrick headed toward the door and stopped when he heard Catherine's voice. "Warrick, it's not that, I just need time," Catherine tried to explain, looking up from the couch.

"If I was the right person, this game wouldn't have gone on for so long," Warrick stated, "I think I better go."

Warrick opened the door and left Catherine's house. Catherine didn't know what to say to him, so she just sat silently and listened to him leave. _What am I doing? What am I thinking?_ _This is a mess._

_

* * *

_


	35. Chapter 35

As their wedding neared, Grissom and Sara planned all of the final details. Within forty-eight hours, they would be husband and wife. Since Grissom had set the schedule up so he and Sara would both have the night before their wedding off, it was their last night of work before the wedding. Grissom collected the assignment slips and headed to the break room. When he entered, everyone was already inside. "Griss, can I talk for a minute before you hand out assignments?" Nick asked. 

"Sure, but remember, we do have work to do," Grissom replied.

"Well, I know you and Sara aren't having a rehearsal dinner because you aren't having a rehearsal because you aren't having a wedding party," Nick said all in one breath.

"What's your point Nick?"

"Would you guys mind joining us for dinner tomorrow night before we have to go in for shift? We'd like to do something special."

Grissom looked over to Sara, and Sara nodded her head. "I guess that would be okay," Grissom answered, "it's not going to be anything fancy, right?"

"No. Formal, but not fancy."

"Did you invite Brass and Al?" Grissom asked, directing his attention toward Catherine, Warrick, and Greg.

"Yeah," Catherine spoke, "Nick talked to them. This whole thing was his idea."

"We'd be glad to come," Sara answered for the two of them.

Once Grissom was sure that discussion was over, he handed out assignments to the team.

* * *

At the end of shift, Catherine caught Sara in the break room before she could go home. "Sara, remember, you're going to my house after dinner later, we can't have you jinxing the wedding," Catherine stated. 

"Right Cath, because I've never slept with my future husband before," Sara snipped, "some of these wedding things are so bizarre. I'm not going to be able to get any sleep."

Catherine smiled and shook her head. "There are movies and plenty of other stuff at the house to keep you occupied. Try not to keep Lindsey up too late."

"I think we'll manage."

"Alright, see you later at dinner."

Sara nodded and watched as Catherine left.

A few minutes later, Grissom ducked his head into the break room. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Sara followed Grissom out to the car, and they headed home.

* * *

When they walked into the house, Grissom kissed the top of Sara's head. "Go sit down in the living room and take your shoes off," Grissom instructed, "I'll be with you in a minute." 

Sara nodded and went to sit down in the living room. Grissom headed to the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub for a bath. Walking into the bedroom, he stripped off his work clothes and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. Once the tub finished filling, Grissom turned off the water and returned to the living room. Sara patted the couch next to her. "Sit," she stated.

Grissom shook his head. "No, I ran a bath for you. You are going to go sit and relax for a while."

_That sounds like a good idea to me._ Sara held her hand up, and Grissom helped her to her feet. He kissed her forehead and ran his hands down her sides. "Call me if you need anything," Grissom instructed.

"Thanks," Sara stated, kissing his lips before heading to the bathroom.

Grissom picked one of his journals up off of the living room table and laid down on the couch. He began reading while waiting for Sara to emerge from her bath.

* * *

When Sara started turning into a prune, she got out of the bathtub and drained the tub. She pulled on her pajamas and put her hair into a loose braid. After cleaning everything up in the bathroom, she returned to the living room. As Sara got closer to the couch, she realized Grissom had dozed off to sleep. The journal that he was once reading was now laying across his chest, and his head was leaning on a pillow against the back of the couch. Sara took the journal from his hands, set it on the table, and ran her fingers through his hair. Grissom opened his eyes and brought his hand up to his mouth as he yawned. "How was your bath?" he asked. 

"Very comfortable and soothing, thank you," Sara spoke, moving her hand to cup his cheek, "are you going to come to bed, or are you going to lay here all night?"

Grissom smiled and moved her hand so he could kiss the back of it. "I'm coming," Grissom spoke, moving to a sitting position and pulling himself up off of the couch.

The two headed to bed and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

While Grissom was dressed and ready to leave for dinner, Sara was still in the bathroom trying to fix her hair. When she finally emerged, she smiled when she caught a glimpse of Grissom's attire. "You're wearing the shirt I got you for Christmas," Sara spoke, admiring the way it complemented his eyes. 

Sara walked over to him and brushed her fingers across the smooth blue fabric. "You look nice," Sara stated.

"So do you," Grissom laid a hand on her shoulder, "we should probably get going, do you have your things ready for Cath's?"

"Yeah," Sara groaned, "let me go get the bag."

"You stay," Grissom said, kissing her forehead, "where is it?"

"Just inside the bedroom door."

Sara watched as Grissom ventured to their bedroom to retrieve the bag. Bag in hand, the two of them walked out to the car and headed to the restaurant.

* * *

Within the large Italian restaurant, Nick, Warrick, Greg, Catherine, Brass, and Dr. Robbins were sitting around a large round table. When Grissom and Sara arrived, a waiter led them back to the table, and they sat down with their friends. "The guests of honor are here," Nick spoke, smiling. 

"Honor," Sara replied, raising her eyebrows, "who spiked your drink?"

Chuckles were heard around the table and everyone smiled. "Al, I thought your wife would come?" Grissom spoke, noticing her absence.

"She had a prior commitment," Dr. Robbins explained, "she'll see you tomorrow though."

Grissom nodded in understanding. The waiter passed menus around the table and left them to peruse their choices. "So this is your last night as a bachelor," Brass stated, "how does it feel?"

"Good," Grissom replied, "it's sure been long enough."

Grissom's statement brought smiles around the table. "Griss, we could have thrown you a bachelor party," Greg said.

Had Sara been drinking, she would have spurted her beverage all over the place. Grissom gave Greg a cold stare. "This dinner is just fine," Grissom replied.

"Could you picture it?" Greg continued, "Griss with..."

Catherine cut Greg off before he could finish. "I think that's enough Greg," Catherine said, smiling, "it took long enough for them to get together, you don't want to scare them apart."

Everyone laughed again, and Sara squeezed Grissom's hand under the table. He seemed to relax some, and he looked at the menu in front of him. After choosing what he wanted, he closed his menu. One by one, everyone seemed to choose what they were going to have for dinner. "Is everyone ready to order?" Grissom asked, looking around the table.

Grissom received several nods, so he called the waiter back to the table. Grissom gestured to Nick to start the orders. "I'd like the baked chicken parmesan," Nick stated.

They continued around the table in order. "I'll have the roasted garlic alfredo," Warrick spoke.

"I'll find some mints for you," Greg joked, reaching in his pockets.

"What will you have sir?" the waiter looked at Greg, for he was next around the table.

"I'll have a garlic grilled chicken panini," Greg stated.

Warrick shot him a look. "I came prepared," Greg grinned, holding up the mints he found in his pocket.

Warrick shook his head. "I'll have the fettuccine alfredo," Brass stated.

"I would like the baked ziti with meat sauce," Dr. Robbins spoke.

"I'll have the garden style chicken penne," Catherine said.

"I'd like the ravioli marinara," Grissom stated.

"I would like an Italian market salad," Sara spoke, "please make sure that there isn't any meat in it."

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

Grissom glanced around the table, realizing that minus he and Sara, everyone had to go into work that night. "We'll just stick with water," Grissom stated.

The waiter nodded and left the table. "Just a salad Sar? Are you watching your figure?" Nick joked, nudging her under the table, "I've got to tell you girl, you can't lose much more off of that frame."

"For your information Nick, the salad comes with plenty of vegetables and pasta. It'll be plenty for me to eat. You don't need to be watching my figure," Sara stated, nudging him back.

The group continued to talk through dinner and dessert. When the waiter came back to the table to ask if they needed anything, Grissom asked for the check. He came back a few minutes later and handed it to Grissom. "Griss, we took you guys out to dinner, you can't pay for this," Nick stated, trying to reach for the check.

"Nick, the groom's family usually pays for the rehearsal dinner," Grissom started, but Nick interrupted him.

"This isn't a rehearsal dinner."

"I know that Nick, but I would like to pay for it. It's nice that we all sat down and had a chance to talk outside of work. However, I think all of you need to get going now."

Nick didn't protest further, and allowed Grissom to pay for their meals. Everyone stood up from the table to leave. "Sara, have Griss take you over to my house, Lindsey is waiting for you. I'll be by after work to pick you up and bring you over to the hotel," Catherine stated.

"Okay Cath, I'll see you later," Sara spoke, watching everyone leave.

After everyone said their goodbyes and left, Grissom led Sara out to the car and started their drive to Catherine's house.

* * *

When Grissom pulled into Catherine's driveway, he turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt. The two got out of the car, and Grissom pulled Sara into his arms. "You should be coming home with me right now," Grissom spoke, kissing the top of her head. 

"I know," Sara replied, "but after tomorrow, we'll have the next four days to ourselves."

"With no interruptions," Grissom whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the lips, "call me if you need anything."

Sara nodded and returned a brief kiss. "I'm sure we'll be fine. Just make sure you get to the hotel on time tomorrow."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I love you," Sara spoke, kissing him one more time.

"I love you too."

Grissom let Sara go and watched as she walked to the door. After Sara knocked, Lindsey came to the door, and Grissom waited until Sara entered the house before he got back into the car.

* * *

When Sara entered the house, Lindsey led her to the living room. "I'm watching a movie, you should sit down and watch too," Lindsey spoke. 

"Let me go get changed first," Sara spoke, "then I'll join you."

Lindsey sat down on the floor and leaned against the couch, and Sara took her bag to the bathroom. Emerging from the bathroom in sweatpants and a t-shirt, Sara sat on the couch behind Lindsey. "Are you comfortable there on the floor?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, I usually sit on the floor to watch tv. It's more comfortable that way," Lindsey replied.

"Okay, as long as you're happy."

"I didn't say I was happy, I said I was comfortable," Lindsey corrected.

"Is something bothering you?" Sara asked.

"No, but I don't have to be happy all of the time."

Sara sighed. _I'm never going to understand teenagers. Well, she's not a teenager, but close enough. Teenagers are not within my area of expertise._ Sara got comfortable on the couch and continued to watch the movie.

* * *

After the movie had finished, it was about ten thirty. "Lindsey, your mom didn't want you to stay up too late, you should probably head to bed," Sara stated, grabbing the remote to turn off the television. 

"I've stayed up later than this before," Lindsey replied, trying to gain herself some more time.

"Well, it's going to be a busy day tomorrow, and your mom wanted you to get some extra sleep. I'm going to head off to bed, you might want to do the same."

Sara got up off of the couch and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom. She snuggled under the covers and tried to get comfortable. A few minutes later she heard Lindsey walk down the hallway and close her bedroom door.

* * *

Two hours later, Sara still hadn't fallen asleep. She was about to give up and get out of bed when her cell phone vibrated on the side table. She picked it up and answered it. "Sidle," Sara spoke. 

"Not for long," Grissom replied.

Sara smiled. "What are you doing up this late?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I can't sleep."

"Neither can I. I figured I'd give you a call and see if you were still awake."

"Well, I am."

"How's it going?"

"The twelve year old with the attitude is in bed," Sara spoke.

"Ah, you had some fun."

"Not really. We just watched a movie."

"That's not what I was referring too."

"I know. What have you been doing?"

"I spent some time with the bugs, and I was reading a journal."

"Uh huh."

"Don't sound so enthused."

Sara smiled. "I am so tempted to drive home and spend the night with you."

"Sara, you don't have a car."

"Well, you could come here."

"We can't jinx the wedding," Grissom teased.

Sara groaned. "I am going to sleepwalk down the aisle if this keeps up."

"Just pretend I'm laying next to you. Think about our big day tomorrow, and maybe you'll drift off to sleep."

"Easy for you to say."

"Honey, I should let you go so you can get your beauty sleep."

"What, I'm not pretty enough for you?" Sara feigned hurt.

"You're beautiful. However, you might turn in to a zombie as you suggested if you don't get some sleep."

Sara chuckled. "Okay Griss, I'll see you later."

"Sweet dreams, I love you."

"I love you too, goodnight."

Sara closed her cell phone and set it on the side table. She wrapped her arms around a pillow and once again tried to fall asleep.

* * *


	36. Chapter 36

When Catherine got home, Sara was sitting in the living room, cup of coffee in hand. "Did you get any sleep?" Catherine asked. 

"Not much. I'm just used to sleeping at home," Sara replied.

"With Grissom's arms around you," Catherine inferred.

"Yes," Sara stated, too tired to argue.

"Is Lindsey up yet?"

"No."

"Did she give you any trouble?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

Catherine nodded. "Okay, I'll go get her up and get ready to go. Just give us a few minutes."

"Take as long as you need."

Catherine disappeared down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

* * *

After dressing in comfortable clothes, Catherine brought their dresses out to the car and hung them up. Lindsey and Sara followed her out to the car and got in. "Do we have everything?" Catherine asked. 

"You have my dress, and I have my shoes and makeup, so that's all of my stuff," Sara replied.

"Well, I have my dress, Lindsey's dress, and everything else we need, so that should be it. Let's get going."

Catherine pulled away from the curb and started for the hotel. "What time is Gil getting to the hotel?" Catherine asked Sara.

"He should be there just before noon. He'll be all ready to go, and he'll have plenty of time before the ceremony starts at one."

"That's because he has it easy," Catherine stated, "the men always have it easy. With the dress and your hair and makeup, we'll be lucky to have you done and ready by one."

"Well, I better be ready by then because I'll be walking out in whatever I have on at that time. There's no way I'm missing this."

Catherine smiled. "We'll have plenty of time. It's almost eight now, we shouldn't have any problem finishing before twelve or twelve thirty."

"Everything else is taken care of?"

"Yes, the hotel is taking care of setting up everything else. Don't worry about anything, it'll all turn out fine."

Sara nodded, and they continued the rest of the drive in silence.

* * *

"Are you done yet?" Sara groaned, Catherine having been working on her hair for about an hour. 

"You sound like Lindsey," Catherine replied, putting another bobby pin in Sara's hair.

"I have never spent this much time on my hair. Ever," Sara emphasized.

"Quit complaining, it's your wedding day. I'm almost done anyway."

A few minutes later, Catherine stepped back and admired her work. "Alright, your hair is done," Catherine spoke, "now we just have to do your makeup."

"What time is it?" Sara asked.

"We still have plenty of time," Catherine reassured, "your makeup shouldn't take that long, and then all you have to do is put your dress on and wait."

Sara stayed quiet and allowed Catherine to begin work on her makeup.

* * *

By twelve thirty, Sara and Catherine were both dressed and ready to go. Catherine had sent Lindsey outside of the hotel to take her seat for the ceremony. "Is he here Cath?" Sara asked. 

"Yeah, he's sitting outside. He didn't want to wait inside of the hotel."

"Is my bouquet ready?"

"Yeah, I'll get it."

Catherine retrieved Sara's bouquet and handed it to her. Sara took Grissom's wedding ring which she had been holding in a box in her hands and attached it to her bouquet with a tie that was already wrapped around it. "I guess I'm all ready then," Sara stated.

Catherine twirled Sara around one more time and admired her work. "You look beautiful," Catherine spoke.

"Thanks."

"The beading on the dress is wonderful."

"Griss' mom would have loved to see me here," Sara stated, her thoughts going to earlier times.

Catherine rested a hand on Sara's shoulder. "She'd say you look beautiful too," Catherine tried to reassure her.

A sad smile crossed Sara's face. "She would," Sara whispered.

Sara took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "So, can we get this ceremony underway yet?" Sara asked.

"Soon enough, you've just got to wait a few more minutes."

Sara sighed. "Patience is not one of my strong points."

"Really?" Catherine joked.

A true smile graced Sara's face. _Just a little longer._

_

* * *

_Grissom sat outside of the hotel in the front row of chairs, waiting for the ceremony to commence. _The day has finally come. I will never be alone again, I don't have to worry about being solitary for the rest of my life. Sara and I have something unique, I'm glad we can profess our love for each other and join each other in marriage. I never thought I would see this day. Another woman wants me, and I want her back. Sara poked through all of my work, and she is the one thing I truly can't live without._

Grissom stood up and paced for a few minutes. _If only we could get this ceremony started already, I just want to see her. When I see her, all else will be lost. She and I, two people meant for one another. _

Grissom sat back down and waited for Sara to emerge._  
_

* * *

When Sara walked out of the doors of the hotel and onto the stone walkway, Grissom's breath caught in his throat. _She looks absolutely amazing. Her dress is beautiful, the details are exquisite. She is really happy, her smile tells it all._

Sara reached Grissom's side, and they stood together in front of the justice of the peace. _He looks amazing in that tux. The look in his eye makes me want to grab him and kiss him right now._

Throughout the entire ceremony, Grissom and Sara were in a daze. Grissom kept taking glances at Sara, and Sara couldn't help stealing glimpses of Grissom. They managed to give the required answers when asked, but their attention was on each other, not on the man speaking in front of them. They somehow managed not to lose themselves in each other's eyes when they said their I dos.

When it was Grissom's time to put Sara's ring on her finger, Sara grinned wildly. She watched him intently as he carefully slipped the band onto her finger. Sara then tried to get his ring off of her bouquet of flowers, but she fumbled with the knot. When her hands steadied, she was able to get the ring off of the string, and she slid the ring onto Grissom's finger. When the justice of the peace finally announced that Grissom could kiss his bride, Grissom didn't hold back. He pulled Sara into his arms and kissed her passionately. Sara had to push him away to remind the man that was usually so private that this was their wedding, they were in the presence of others. When they walked back down the pathway toward their friends, Sara leaned against Grissom and whispered in his ear, "I love you Gil."

"I love you too, Mrs. Grissom," Grissom whispered back, kissing her cheek.

_I've got the man I love, that's all I'll ever need._

_With her, I am complete._

* * *

The End

* * *

Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! 

A continuing story will be posted soon.

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